Beginnings  of  Medical  Education 
In  and  Near  Chicago 

THE  INSTITUTIONS  AND  THE  MEN 


By 

GEORGE  H.  WEAVER 


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Begiiiniii«!;s  of  Medical  Education  in  and 
JNear  Chicago 


THE  INSTITUTIONS  AND  THE  MEN 


GEORGE  H.  WEAVER 


Rflirinled  from    The   Prticfedin^s  iij  llie   Institute   of  Medicine   of 

Cliicano.   I<I2.^.   \„l.  .').  mid   The   llull.lin   of  the   Soriely 

of    Mediciil  History  oj  Chicino.   l<)>:,.   I  ol.  3 


American    Medical    A; 
535    North    Dearbor: 
CHICAGO 


CONTliXTS 


Beginnings  ot  Medical  1-lducation 
and   the   Men 

Sketches  of  the  Lives  of  Faculty 
the  Text. 

Adams.  Samuel 

Allen,  Jonathan  .\dams 

.Andrew,  Jacob   Piatt 

Armor.   Samuel   (ilasgow 

Barrows.  George   S 

Blaney.  James  \"an  Zandt 

Brainard.   Daniel 

Brown.  David  E 

Chapman.  Chandler  Burwell 

Danforth.  Willis 

Davis.  Nathan  Smith 

Davisson.  Alfred  W 

Delamatcr.  John 

Deminij.   Elizur   H 

Dillon.   John   F ,.. 

Kvans.  John 

Everts.    Orpheus 

Fitch.  Graham  X 

Flint.  Austin 

(ioodhue.  losiah  C 

Hard.    Xichols 

Herrick.    losiah    B 

Herrick.  William  B 


in  and   Near  Chicago.     The  Institutions 


1-45 


Members  and  Some  Others  Mentioned  in 


Higday,   Tompkins 

Hudson.  .-Xbisha  S 

Hunt,  Franklin  W 

Jones,    Henry 

Kennicott.  John  Albert 

Kimberly,   Edmund   Stoughton. 

Knapp.  Moses  l_ 

Lee.  George  Washington 

McLean,   John 

McNeill,   Francis  Asbury 

Mead,    Edward 

Meeker.  Daniel 

Niles,  John   Barton 

Prince.   David 

Richards.  Get>rge  W 

Rose,  (iustavus  .Adolphus 

Sanford.  John  F 

Shipman,  .Azariah  B 

Spencer,  Thomas 

Stahl,   Daniel 

Temple,  John  Taylor 

Wing.    Henry 


67 
67 
68 
68 
68 
70 
71 
72 
74 
74 
75 
76 
76 
78 
79 
80 
80 
82 
84 
85 
86 
88 


Letters  Written  or  Received  by  Members  of  the   Faculties  of  the   F^ioneer 

Schools  and  Their  Pupils. 

.■\dams,  Samuel 91 

Armor,  S.   G 124,  128 

Barton,  Wm.  P.  C 121 

Blanev.   las.  V.  Z 

95,  98,  100.  102,  104.  106.  1 12 

Brainard.    Daniel 92.  94.  97, 

101,  105.  107.  111.  116.  117.  118 

Chapman.  C.  B 119 

CotKn.    Nath 91 

Danforth,  Willis 131,  132 

Dillon.  John 124.  126.  127,  129 

Evans.    John 

89.  107.  109.  110.  111.  116.  117 

Everts,  Orpheus 119 


Fitch.  (;.  N 113,  114 

Graham,  John  S 94,  103 

Henry,    Joseph 120 

Herrick.  W.  B 102,  113,  114 

Higbv.  Jas.  M 108 

Knapp.  M.  L 118 

Matthews.   Wm 115 

Mitchell.  Thos.  D 123 

McLean,    John 93,  98,  100,  105 

Phillips,   E.  H 125 

Richards,  G.  W 123,  127,  130 

Stille.   Alfred 123 

Wheeler,  Geo.  S 130 


llluslralioiis 

Fig.  1.  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  of 
New  York :  Fairfield  iledical  School.  Laboratory  Building,  erected  in  1809      3 

Fig.  2.  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  of  New- 
York :   Fairfield   Medical   School,   South    Building,   erected    in    1825 5 

Fig.  3.     Medical  Department  of  LaPorte  I'niversity,  erected  about  1846....     10 

Fig.  4.  Letter  to  George  Bunker  from  G.  W.  Richards.  Oct.  12.  1848. 
Written  with  right  hand 11 


CONTENTS— Continued 

Fig.  5.     Letter  to  George  A.  Bunker  from  G.   W.   Richards.  Oct.   10.   1849. 

Written    with    left    hand    about    six    months    after    Ijullet-wound    caused 

paralysis  of  right  arm 15 

Fig.  6.    Medical  Department  of  Illinois  College,  erected  in  1844 18 

Fig.  7.     Rush  Medical  College,  erected  in  1844 21 

Fig.  8.    Stock  certificate  of  Rush  Medical  College 11 

Fig.    9.     Announcement    of    memliers    of    faculty    of    Rock    Island    Medical 

School   in   Wisconsin   Argus.  Madison,   Sept.   26,    1848 ll 

Fig.  10.    Letter  to  G.  A.  Bunker  from  G.  W.  Richards,  Oct.  4,  1850 28 

Fig.  11.    Lecture  tickets,  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Western 

District  of  New  York,   issued  to  John   McLean 31 

Fig.  12.     Lecture  tickets  for  Rush  Medical  College ii 

Figs.  13  and  14.    Title  pages  of  catalogs  issued  by  the  medical  schools 35 

Figs.  15  and  16.    Title  pages  of  catalogs  issued  by  the  medical  schools il 

Fig.  17.    Title  page  of  catalog  issued  by  the  medical  schools 38 

Fig.  18.     Title  pages  of  introductory  addresses 39 

Fig.  19.     Title  page  of  Illinois  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  first  volume, 

1 844    42 

Fig.  20.     Instrument  conveying  two   acres  of   corn   standing   in   Aurora   to 

N.  Hard,  in  payment  of  medical  bill  of  $12.00 49 

Fig.  21.    Members  of  faculty  of  medical  department  of  LaPorte  University..     53 

1.  Daniel  Meeker  4.  George  W.  Richards 

2.  John  B.  Niles  5.  J.  Adams  Allen 

3.  Jacob  P.  .Andrew  6.  Thompkiu   Higday 

Fig.  22.  First  page  of  letter  from  Moses  L.  Kuapp  to  Nichols  Hard 57 

Fig.  li.  Dr.  George  W.  Richards'  house  at  St.  Charles,  Illinois 61 

Fig.  24.  Front  door  of  Dr.  Richards'  house,  showing  bullet  mark  above  knob     65 

Fig.  25.  Members  of  faculty  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Illinois  College     69 

1.  David  Prince  4.  Edward  Mead 

2.  Samuel   .Adams  5.  Henry  Wing 

3.  Daniel    Stahl 

Fig.    26.      Letter    from    Daniel    Brainard    to    John    McLean    regarding    the 

organization  of  Rush  Medical  College,  Oct.  10,  1843 73 

Fig.  27.    Members  of  faculty  of  Rush  Medical  College 11 

1.  Daniel  Brainard  4.  Moses  L.  Knapp 

2.  James   Van   Zandt  Blaney  5.  Austin  Flint 

3.  John  McLean  6.  Graham  N.  Fitch 

Fig.  28.     Members  of  faculty  of  Rush  Medical  College 81 

1.  Wm.  B.  Herrick  4.  Nathan  S.  Davis 

2.  John  Evans  5.  Alfred  W.  Davisson 

3.  Thomas  Spencer  6.  Josiah  B.  Herrick 

Fig.  29.    Members  of  faculty  of  the  Rock  Island  Medical  School 83 

1.  Chandler  B.   Chapman  4.  Orpheus  Everts 

2.  John  F.  Sanford  5.  A.  S.  Hudson 

3.  Samuel  G.  Armor 

Fig.  30.     Dr.  Nichols  Hard 87 


BEGIXXIXGS     OF     Mi:UlCAL     EDUCATlUX     IX 
AXD     XFAK     CHICAGO 

THE     I.NSTITITIONS     AM)     THE     MEN 

(JKORGE     H.     Weaver 

\\  lien  the  Society  of  Medical  History  of  Chicago  was  organized  in 
1909,  one  of  its  objects  was  to  collect  and  jireserve  what  relates  to  lt)cal 
medical  history.  As  secretary  I  had  much  to  do  with  this.  The  lirst 
nie«lical  schools  of  this  region  soon  became  objects  of  interest.  From 
this  l)eginning  I  have  continued  to  gather  information  regarding  these 
schools  and  the  men  on  their  faculties  as  opportunity  has  allowed.  FVom 
the  material  secured,  I  have  attenipted  to  construct  the  story  of  the  first 
efforts  to  teach  medicine  in  Chicago  and  the  adjacent  country  as  it 
occurred  between  1842  and  1850.  During  this  time,  five  medical  schools 
were  organized  and  flourished  for  a  time,  but  finally  only  one  remained, 
three  having  discontinued  and  one  having  permanently  moved  west  of 
the  Mississippi  river. 

.\n  effort  has  been  made  to  learn  as  much  as  ])ossil)le  about  the 
persons  who  appeared  on  the  faculties  of  the  medical  schools,  and 
sketches  of  their  lives  have  been  prepared  containing  the  most  important 
facts.  These  have  been  made  more  e.xtensive  when  former  adeciuate 
biographical  sketches  were  lacking.  Accuracy  in  dates,  places  of  gradua- 
tion, etc.,  has  been  aimed  at,  many  inaccuracies  in  former  statements 
being  corrected.  Prolonged  search  has  been  rewarded  by  the  finding  of 
pictures  of  almost  every  one  of  the  principal  characters  of  the  story. 

The  information  obtainable  regarding  these  early  institutions  and 
men  has  often  been  fragmentary.  Much  has  been  destroyed  and  lost 
during  the  interval  of  over  three  quarters  of  a  century.  The  records  of 
the  e.xtinct  schools  have  been  lost  in  large  measure,  and  the  limited 
printed  matters  issued  by  them  have  almost  di.sapj)eared.  Much  historic 
material  was  lost  in  the  Chicago  fire.  But  a  general  acknowledgment  can 
be  made  of  the  kindness  of  numerous  persons  who  have  generously  aided 
me  in  .securing  the  information  here  utilized. 


My  estimate  of  this  presentation  is  well  expressed  by  Samuel  D. 
Gross  when,  on  a  similar  occasion,  he  wrote : 

I  am  not  vain  enough  to  suppose  that  I  have  exhausted  the  subject;  like 
a  traveler  who  is  exploring,  for  the  first  time,  the  resources  of  a  new  country, 
I  have  made  many  extensive  excursions.  Wandered  hither  and  thither  in 
pursuit  of  objects,  culling  here  and  there  a  choice  flower,  or  picking  up  a 
gem  by  the  way-side;  but  many  things  liave  doubtless  escaped  my  attention, 
and  much  is  left  to  reward  the  research  and  scrutiny  of  my  successors.' 

As  would  be  expected,  traits  of  weakness  as  well  as  strength  were 
possessed  liy  the  persons  under  consideration.  The  former  have  largely 
been  lost  in  the  dim  record  of  the  past,  and  it  is  useful  now  to  emphasize 
only  the  latter.  Those  who  organized  and  conducted  these  pioneer 
schools  are  all  dead,  and  any  sentiment  which  may  have  existe<l  regarding 
them  as  individuals  has  been  lost  in  the  distance.  We  may  now  look  at 
them  as  depicted  in  what  they  did,  and  after  the  passage  of  over  three- 
quarters  of  a  century,  may  place  an  impartial  estimate  on  the  vakie  of 
their  accoinplishments  and  form  some  idea  as  to  what  sort  of  men  they 
were.  In  doing  this,  we  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  the  conditions 
under  which  they  worked  were  primitive  and  their  ad\antages  in  a 
material  way  limited.  Standards  of  medical  education  were  not  such  as 
exist  today. 

The  family  of  medical  schools  in  America  may  be  likened  to  a  tree. 
The  original  seeds  from  which  the  tree  sprang  were  imported  from  Great 
Britain,  the  roots  and  main  trunk  were  formed  by  the  original  medical 
schools  near  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and  the  branches  and  sub-branches  con- 
sisted of  several  generations  of  schools  always  spreading  further  from 
the  ]:)arent  trunk.  During  the  growth  of  the  tree,  some  branches  have 
died,  and  some  have  been  cut  out  while  still  healthy  to  make  room  for 
others.  Some  branches  have  been  long,  sturdy  and  strong,  while  others 
have  been  delicate  from  injury  by  winds,  late  frosts  or  insect  enemies  or 
because  their  supply  of  sunshine  has  been  obstructed  by  stronger  and 
larger  branches.  Sometimes  grafts  from  France  and  Germany  have  been 
introduced.  We  may  also  think  of  the  evolution  of  Ainerican  medical 
schools  in  terms  of  animal  life.  The  original  parents,  having  the 
dominant  traits  of  Scotch  and  English  schools,  with  an  inherited  strain 
from  earlier  Italian,  French  and  Dutch  schools,  located  near  the  eastern 
sea  border,    ^^'ith  the  westward  movement  of  population,  the  demands 

'  Gross,   S.   D.:     Report  on   Kentucky   Surgery,   Louisville.    185,^,    ]>.    1. 


fur  plivsiciaiis  were  met  liy  tlie  fdrmatinii  cii  new  schools  liy  men  who 
had  been  educated  in  the  old  ones.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  country, 
the  first  step  in  the  process  was  the  formation  of  "country  schools"  in 
\'ermont,  New  Hampshire,  Western  Massachusetts  and  New  York. 
Next  came  the  schools  in  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Still  later  schools 
jjradually  s])rang  up  all  the  way  to  the  I'acitic  coast.  In  the  descendants, 
the  im|)riiU  of  the  original  i)arents  is  usually  evident,  and  through  the 
entire  series  the  characteristics  ol  the  r.ritish  slock  lia\e  ]iersisted  with 
modifications  froni  envirunnient. 


Fig.   1. — College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  li  New  York;   F,iirlield 
Mnlieal  School,   Laboratory  Building  erected  in    1809. 

In  each  instance,  the  pioneer  medical  school  had  a  faculty  composed 
of  men  who  had  been  educated  and  often  had  some  experience  in  teach- 
ing in  (jlder  schools.  There  was  usually  a  dominant  i)ro])ortit)n  of  the 
faculty  that  had  been  trained  in  the  schools  next  removed  with  some  from 
still  older  schools  farther  east. 

The  leading  spirits  in  the  organization  and  early  acti\ilies  of  the  live 
pioneer  medical  schools  in  or  near  Chicago  had  all  received  part  or  all  of 
their  medical  education  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  .Surgeons  of 
the  \\'cstern  District  of  New  York  at  Fairtield,  X.  Y.  The.se  were 
Daniel  Meeker,  of  I^Porte,  Ind. ;  Daniel  Rrainard  of  Chicago;  George 
W.  Richards  of  St.  Charles,  Til.,  and  David  Prince  of   Jacksonville.  Ill, 


Another  graduate  of  this  school  who  came  to  Chicago  a  little  later  and 
who  exerted  a  profound  influence  on  medical  education  in  Chicago  and 
through  the  entire  country  was  N.  S.  Davis.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate 
the  value  of  the  service  rendered  by  this  pioneer  medical  school. 
Founded  in  1812  in  a  small  village  on  the  western  border  of  civilization 
in  New  York,  during  its  27  years  of  existence  it  sent  out  589  graduates 
and  afforded  instruction  to  3,123  students.  In  1856,  Frank  H.  Hamil- 
ton,- speaking  of  the  graduates  of  this  school,  said  that  19  held  or  had 
held  professorships  in  colleges,  8  were  in  the  United  States  service  as 
surgeons,  and  many  more  had  risen  to  distinction  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  surgery.  Its  first  president  was  Lyman  Spalding,  the 
father  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopeia,  who  had  been  a  pupil  of  Nathan 
.'■^niith.  There  were  able  men  on  the  faculty  of  this  "Country  School" 
during  the  time  when  the  future  leaders  of  medical  education  in  the  West 
were  students,  among  whom  were  Westel  Willoughby,  Jas. 
McNaughton,  John  Delamater  and  T.  Romeyn  Beck.  They  were  accom- 
plished teachers  and  leaders  in  their  time,  several  serving  as  presidents 
of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society.  (See  Fig.  1,  p.  3.  and 
Fig.  2,  p.  5.) 

In  1827,  in  his  presidential  address  before  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Society,  James  R.  Manly,  speaking  of  the  medical  schools  of 
the  state  of  New  York,  said  : 

The  only  green  spot  on  which  our  recollections  can  rest  with  satisfaction, 
is  the  school  of  medicine  at  Fairfield.  Ever  since  its  organization  it  has 
kept  the  "noiseless  tenor  of  its  way,"  neither  coveting  the  distinction  which 
arises  from  angry  controversy,  nor  shrinking  from  a  puhlic  exhibition  of 
its  claims,  whenever  interest,  jealousy,  or  hostility,  have  attempted  to  invade 
them.' 

Of  the  physicians  scattered  among  the  pioneers  in  Chicago  and  the 
adjacent  country,  some  had  received  a  liberal  general  education  as  well  as 
a  good  medical  education  in  the  older  eastern  part  of  the  country.  They 
were  found  in  the  various  rural  communities  which  grew  up  in  northern 
Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  southern  Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  They  cared 
for  the  sick  under  very  trying  circumstances,  traveled  over  a  large  ter- 
ritory on  horseback  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  forded  unbridged  streams 
often  swollen  beyond  their  banks  and  practiced  all  the  specialties.  They 
often  had  some  elementary  legal  knowledge  and  served  as  judges  and 
also  as  preachers. 

-  Hamilton (  Frank  Hastings:  Eulogy  on  the  Life  and  Character  of  Theodric  Romevn  Beck, 
Alhanv.   1856,   n.  21. 

3' Trans.  Med.   Soc.   State  of  New  York,  .Mbany.   1868.  p.  395. 


It  is  related  ol  a  Vurkville  physician  that  cm  one  uccasiim  lie  met  a 
neighboring  physician  from  Aurora  and  told  him  that  he  had  performed 
a  surgical  operation  and  tried  a  law  suit  during  the  day.  The  friend 
put  his  accomplishments  to  shame  hy  remarking  that  in  the  same  time 
he  had  visited  his  patients,  tried  a  law  suit  and  ])reached  a  funeral  service. 
In  western  New  York  many  physicians  had  served  as  judges,  and  the 
custom  seems  to  have  been  carried  farther  west  by  the  ])ioneers.  In  the 
colonial  jieriod  of  Xew  England,  the  ])reacher  and  ])hysician  were 
often  united  in  one  person,  and  in  the  new  western  country  the  preacher 
who  accompanied  the  settlers  often  ministered  to  their  liodily  diseases  as 
well  as  to  their  spiritual  needs.    As  conditions  became  more  settled,  one 


Fig.  2. — College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
Medical  School,  South  Building,  erected  in  182: 


District  of   Xew  York:  Fairfield 


or  the  other  profession  was  often  abandoned  according  to  the  taste  or 
circumstances  of  the  individual.  Jacob  P.  Andrew  of  the  I^Porte 
medical  school  had  been  a  traveling  preacher  before  he  devoted  himself 
to  medicine.  The  combination  of  the  professions  of  medicine  and 
theology  was  well  exemplified  in  Dr.  Francis  .A.  McNeill,  who  from  1833 
to  1S72  divided  his  energy  between  them.  These  country  doctors  were 
called  on  to  serve  in  all  the  capacities  of  citizens,  and  while  I  find  no 
record  of  their  having  been  undertakers,  there  is  abundant  evidence  that 
they,  in  their  zeal  for  anatomic  study,  often  aided  their  students  in 
reversing  the  usual  function  of  this  calling. 


Some  of  these  men  combined  agriculture  with  their  professional 
work,  as  had  been  dune  by  the  early  jihysicians  in  the  east.  Jas.  C. 
Cioodhue  states  that : 

Anterior  to  1840,  nine  tenths  of  all  the  physicians  who  had  located  them- 
selves in  this  region,  had  done  so  with  reference  to  pursuing  agriculture  and 
the  avowed  intention  of  abandoning  medical  practice;  most  of  whom  either 
from  the  necessity  of  the  case,  or  from  finding  more  truth  than  poetry  in 
pounding  out  rails,  resumed  their  profession,  and  divided  their  attention  between 
farming  and  medicine.' 

Among  the  early  physicians  who  had  a  special  interest  in  agriculture 
was  John  A.  Kennicott  of  Northfield,  Cook  County,  Illinois. 

The  financial  rewards  to  the  practitioner  were  meager.  I'ay  was 
sometimes  made  in  farm  products.  An  instrument,  executed  in  1847. 
conveyed  to  Dr.  N.  Hard  "two  acres  of  corn  standing  in  Aurora  in  con- 
sideration of  a  series  of  medical  services  rendered  of  the  valuation  of 
twelve  dollars."     (See  Fig.  20,  p.  49.) 

Most  of  the  pioneer  physicians  had  received  part  of  their  education 
in  the  offices  of  preceptors,  and  they  in  turn  became  the  preceptors  of 
young  men  who  wished  to  study  medicine.  Some  who  had  natural  ability 
as  teachers  gathered  about  them  groups  of  students,  and  so  developed 
schools  or  classes.  In  1840,  Daniel  Brainard  in  Chicago  gave  a  course 
of  private  lectures  on  anatomy  to  a  class  of  6  students  in  the  back  of  his 
office.  ''The  second  course  was  attended  by  eleven  students,  and  a 
second  bench  had  to  be  added  to  the  one  used  the  previous  winter  to 
accommodate  the  class."  Chandler  B.  Chapman  of  Madison,  Wis.,  had 
a  private  school  of  .\natomy  and  Surgery  in  which  21  students  were 
enrolled  in  1851-1852.  Daniel  Meeker  of  LaPorte,  Ind.,  was  an  active 
teacher  of  medical  students  before  he  organized  the  Medical  School  at 
LaPorte.  Samuel  Adams  and  Henry  Jones  of  Jacksonville  and  David 
Prince  of  Payson,  111.,  who  subsequently  were  on  the  faculty  of  the 
Medical  Department  of  Illinois  College,  were  active  teachers  of  medical 
students. 

Nichols  Hard  and  his  brother  Chester  Hard  at  Aurora,  111.,  were 
favorite  preceptors.  They  became  associated  with  Geo.  \V.  Richards 
of  St.  Charles,  III,  who  was  a  very  popular  teacher.  One  of  the  things 
which  these  jjreceptors  could  do  for  a  group  of  students  to  good  advan- 
tage was  instruct  them  in  practical  anatomy.  The  material  for  dissec- 
tions was  imported  from  a  distance  or  sometimes  stolen  nearer  home. 

*   Illinois   and    Indiana   Med.    &•    Surg.   Jonr..    1846,   3.   p.    261. 


The  well  inuiulcil  I'car  nf  the  "grave  ruMitr"  |icrsiste<l  lor  many  years 
in  these  rural  coniiminities.  Many  griicsunic  tales  are  loUl  of  these  early 
teachers  of  anatomy  and  their  students,  remiinling  one  tif  the  vivid  por- 
trayal of  the  "body-snatchers"  by  Stevenson. 

As  conditions  became  more  settled  some  of  the  stronger  and  more 
ambitious  of  these  jiioneer  teachers  organized  centers  for  medical  instruc- 
tion in  which  men  of  ability  from  the  surrounding  territory  were  invited 
to  teach  groups  of  students,  to  which  they  all  contributed.  In  this  way 
division  of  labor  became  ])ossible,  and  teaciiers  could  devote  their  energy 
to  subjects  in  which  they  were  most  interested  or  most  qualified  to  teach. 
Teachers  were  sought  who  could  draw  and  hold  students,  and  the  dis- 
criminating judgment  of  the  students  tended  to  eliminate  the  jKJorer 
teachers.  Thus  medical  schools  came  to  be  formed,  for  which  there  was 
a  real  demand  because  of  the  need  of  physicians  among  the  growing 
population.  The  exi)ense  incident  to  studying  in  older  eastern  schools, 
together  with  difficulty  of  access  through  inadequate  means  of  trans- 
portation, often  ])laced  the  study  of  medicine  in  establishetl  schools 
beyond  the  reach  of  local  students. 

A  further  evolution  occurred  when  po])ulation  began  to  concen- 
trate in  towns  and  the  beginnings  of  future  cities  were  established.  Here 
opiK)rtunities  for  clinical  teaching  became  apijarent,  and  the  "country 
schools"  were  at  a  disadvantage  and  either  moved  to  cities  or  became 
e.xtinct. 

The  5  pioneer  medical  schonls  in  and  near  Chicago  were  the  Medical 
Dejartment  of  the  Lal'orte  University  (later  Indiana  Medical  College), 
I^l'orte.  Ind.,  organized  in  1842;  Franklin  Medical  College,  St.  Charles, 
111.,  organized  in  1842;  Illinois  College  Medical  School.  Jacksonville, 
111.,  organized  in  1843;  Rush  Medical  College.  Chicago.  111.,  organized 
in  1S43,  and  the  Rtx-k  Island  Medical  Schodl.  Rock  Island.  111.,  organized 
in  1848. 

Of  these  schools.  3  were  later  discontinued,  the  LaPorte  school  in 
1850,  the  St.  Charles  school  in  1849,  and  the  Jacksonville  school  in 
1848.  The  Rock  Island  school  was  removed  after  a  year  to  Davenjjort, 
Iowa,  later  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  finally  merged  into  the  State  University 
of  Iowa  College  of  Medicine.  Rush  Medical  College  is  the  only  one 
which  has  continued  without  interruption  to  the  jiresent  time,  and  it  was 
the  only  medical  school  in  Chicago  until  1859.  when  the  medical  (le])art- 
nient  of  Lind  Universitv  was  established. 


These  schools,  although  often  referred  to  in  late  years  as  "proprie- 
tary," were  not  all  so  in  fact.  Their  property  rights  rested  with  boards 
of  trustees,  which  included  nonmedical  men.  It  is  true  that  in  the  schools 
at  LaPorte  and  Rock  Island  almost  all  the  trustees  were  members  of  the 
faculties. 

The  medical  school  of  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville  was  under  the 
control  of  the  university  trustees,  who  appointed  the  faculty.  Of  the 
17  original  trustees  of  Rush  Medical  College,  only  3  were  physicians, 
and  none  was  on  the  faculty.  From  1843  to  1850,  Dr.  E.  S.  Kimberly 
was  the  only  physician  among  the  trustees.  Even  Brainard  made  his 
promises  regarding  the  faculty  depend  on  the  action  of  the  trustees. 
During  the  first  52  years  of  Rush  Medical  College,  less  than  one-third 
of  the  trustees  were  members  of  the  faculty.  When  these  schools  were 
organized,  there  was  an  abundance  of  quack  doctors,  but  no  provision 
existed  for  the  proper  education  of  young  men  as  physicians.  When  a 
committee  of  the  Western  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  Wisconsin 
reported  on  the  condition  of  the  medical  profession  in  the  district  in 
1850,  upwards  of  60  persons  were  engaged  in  practicing  medicine  in  the 
counties  of  lona,  Grant  and  Lafayette;  and  of  this  number  only  12  were 
graduates,  or  had  the  title  of  doctor."  Two  years  later,  Geo.  G.  Wilber 
of  Mineral  Point,  Wis.,  said  that  in  his  part  of  the  state  there  were 
"more  than  three  quacks  to  every  regularly  educated  physician."  "^  The 
demand  for  physicians  was  great,  as  the  early  inhabitants  of  the  region 
suffered  extensivelv  from  malaria,  dysentery  and  other  disorders  of  a 
new  country  with  inadequate  drainage  and  poor  water.  Epidemic  cholera 
appeared  at  intervals  and  claimed  a  high  toll  of  lives.  In  the  clearing 
of  land  and  in  the  building  of  houses  and  barns,  frequent  injuries  called 
for  skilled  surgical  treatment.  The  need  was  keenly  felt  by  the  men  who 
appreciated  what  the  practice  of  medicine  really  required,  and  they  put 
forth  every  effort  to  furnish  in  their  schools  as  complete  an  education 
as  could  be  secured  with  the  means  available.  They  furnished  the  sur- 
rounding country  with  physicians  who  were  immensely  superior  to  those 
previously  obtainable,  and  among  them  were  many  skilful  and  able 
practitioners.  During  the  8  years  covered  by  this  study,  from  1843  to 
1850,  these  pioneer  medical  schools  furnished  instruction  to  over  1,234 
students,  and  granted  the  medical  degree  to  345  persons. 

s  North-Westcrn  Med.   &  Surg.  Jour.,   1851,  7,  p.   495. 
"  Ibid.,  1853,  10,  p.  274. 


THE     MEDll  AI.     DKPAKTMENT     OF     LAPORTE     INIVKRSITV     (I84.>t)); 
INDIANA     MEDICAL     lOLI.ElJE     118-1(150] 

In  1S41,  in  the  town  of  LaPorte.  Ind.,  with  1,0(.X)  to  \.R)0  inhahilants, 
Dr.  Daniel  Meeker  and  \\m.  P.  Andrew  were  instructing  students  in 
their  offices  in  meilicine  and  law.  respectively.  To  secure  facilities  for 
the  study  of  medicine  and  law,  tliey  were  joined  by  others  in  securin;,'  a 
charter  for  l^Porte  L'niversity  in  1841.  The  law  scliool  was  opened 
in  1S41.  The  medical  department  was  organized  in  1842  by  Daniel 
Meeker.  In  1848,  the  charter  was  amended,  changing  the  name  of  the 
niedical  school  to  the  Indiana  Medical  College.  .\  ])reliminary  spring 
course  was  given  in  March  and  .\pril,  1842.  to  9  students.  The  first 
regular  course  of  16  weeks  was  given  in  1842-.?  to  .W  students,  of  whom 
1  graduated.    The  last  course  was  given  in  1849-.^0. 

TABLE     1 
Sti'dexts  and  Gkaui'ates  or  Medical  Schools  Existing  in  1843-1850 


Medical 

Department 

of  LaPorte  I'niv. 

(lodiaDa  Meilk'ul 

College) 

LaPorte,  Ind. 


Rush  Medii'iil 

College. 
Chicago,    III. 


liiinoiti  College 
Medical  School. 
Jacksonville,  III. 


Rock  Island  MedlcaJ 

School  (College  of 

Physicians  and 

Surgeons  of  the 

Upper  Mississippi). 

Rock  Island.  III. 


1SI2-3 

I8B-4 

1844-S 

1845-6 

1840-7 

1847-8 

1848-9. .-. . . 
I849-S0. . . . 

Total. 


During  the  8  years  when  the  school  was  in  operation,  it  gave  instruc- 
tion to  565  students,  of  whom  127  received  a  medical  degree.  Manv  of 
the  graduates  became  prt)minent  ])ractitioners  in  Indiana  and  the  adjacent 
states  and  were  infiuential  in  medical  organizations. 

The  original  faculty  consisted  of  5  men ;  Daniel  Meeker,  anatomv  and 
surgery;  Franklin  Hunt,  materia  medica  and  botany;  Jacob  P.  .\ndrew, 
obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children  ;  dustavus  C.  Rose,  theorv 
and  practice  of  medicine ;  and  John  B.  Xiles.  chemistry.  They  served 
for  two  years  (  1842-4).  In  1844-5,  the  faculty  was  reorganized,  and 
several  were  added  who  lived  at  a  distance,  while  several  of  the  local 
professors  were  dropjied.  The  new  faculty  consisted  of :  Daniel 
Meeker,    LaPorte,    surgery:    George    W.    Kicli.irds.    ."^i.    Charles.    111.. 


10 

anatomy ;  Aloses  L.  Kna]3]),  Chicago,  materia  niedica ;  Nichols  Hard, 
Aurora,  111.,  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children ;  Daniel  E. 
Brown,  Schoolcraft.  Mich.,  theory  and  practice  of  medicine;  John  B. 
Niles,  LaPorte,  Ind.,  chemistry ;  John  L.  Torrey,  Elgin,  111.,  demon- 
strator. For  3  years  ( 1844-1847),  the  faculty  remained  as  given,  except 
that  in  1845-6,  Daniel  Brown  dropped  out,  A.  B.  Shipman  of  Cortland- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  was  added  to  teach  surgery,  Daniel  Meeker  assumed  the 
teaching  of  anatomy  and  physiology,  and  George  \\'.  Richards  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  department  of  theory  and  practice  of  medicine. 


Fig.   3.— Medical  Department  of  LaFurtc   Ud 


At  the  end  of  1847,  the  men  from  Illinois,  with  the  exception  of 
N.  Hard,  dropped  out  of  the  faculty.  P>om  1847  to  1850,  the  teaching 
force  consisted  of  what  remained  of  the  previous  faculty,  with  the 
addition  in  1847-1848  of  E.  Deming,  LaFayette,  Ind.,  materia  medica, 
and  T.  Higday,  LaPorte,  Ind.,  physiology  and  pathology,  and  in  1848- 
1849  of  J.  Adams  Allen,  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  materia  medica  and  medical 
jurisprudence,  and  George  W.  Lee,  Whitewater,  Wis.,  demonstrator." 

In  1849-50,  the  competition  of  other  schools  was  being  felt,  as  shown 
in  a  reduction  in  the  number  of  students  and  graduates,  and  the  school 
was  discontinued.  Two  only  were  on  the  faculty  throughout  its  entire 
existence — Daniel  Meeker  and  John  B.  Niles.     ("See  Fig.  22.  p.  57.) 

'  Kemper,  G.  W.  H. :  Medical  History  of  the  State  of  Indiana.  Chicago.  1911.  Higday, 
Tompkins:  The  Indiana  Medical  College,  LaPorte,  from  18421850,  Trans.  Ind.  State  Med.  Soc. 
1874,  p.  24. 


11 

In  the  catalog  of  18-k)-7.  the  construction  of  a  c«)llege  huiUling  was 
announced.  It  was  described  as  "large  enough  to  accommodate  three 
hundred  students"  and  supplied  with  "two  lecture  rooms,  four  private 
rooms  including  the  laboratory,  for  the  Professors :  a  large  room  for  an 
Anatomical  museum,  another  for  the  Cabinets  of  the   Xorth-W'estern 


^.  ^/wvc  ^^y-  /i    /-^  ^' 


Academy,  and  a  library.  The  dissecting  room  is  large  and  well  ven- 
tilated. It  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  best  arranged  and  most  convenient 
College  buildings  in  the  Western  country."  "     (See  Fig.  3.  p.  10.) 

In  the  I^Porte  school,  as  in  all  of  these  pioneer  schools,  enough 
acceptable   teachers   could   not   be    secured   where    the    institution    was 

■   ritaloituc   In<i.  Mrd.  rolIcRf.   Srssion   18-<8-<>.  LaPorlc.   1849. 


12 

located,  and  so  teachers  were  brought  from  ouside.  They  came  to  give 
their  course  of  lectures  and  then  returned  home.  (Jf  such  teachers,  on 
whom  the  LaPorte  school  depended  in  a  large  measure,  were  George 
W.  Richards.  Aloses  L.  Knapp.  Nichols  Hard,  John  L.  Torrey  and 
A.  B.  Shipman. 

MEDICAL     DEPARTMENT,     LAPORTE     UXIN'ERSITY     (1842-81 

LXDLANA     MEDICAL    COLLEGE     (1848-50) 

1842-1850 

Students,  565  Graduates,  127 

FACULTY 
Anatomy : 

1842-1844.     Daniel   Meeker,   LaPorte,   Indiana. 
1844-1845.     George   W.   Richards,   St.    Charles,   Illinois. 
1845-1850.     Daniel   Meeker. 

Chemistry : 

1842-1850.     John    B.    Xiles,    Laporte,    Indiana. 

Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics  : 

1842-1844.     Franklin   W.   Hunt,   LaPorte,   Indiana. 
1844-1847.     Moses  L.  Knapp,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
1847-1848.     E.   H.   Deming.   LaFayette,   Indiana. 
1848-1850.     Jos.  Adams  Allen,   Kalamazoo,   Michigan. 

Surgery : 

1842-1845.     Daniel   Meeker. 

1845-1850.    A.  B.  Shipman,  Cortlandville,  New  York. 

Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children : 
1842-1844.     Jacob  P.  Andrew,  LaPorte,   Indiana. 
1844-1850.     Nichols    Hard,   Aurora,    Illinois. 

Practice  of  Medicine : 

1842-1844.     Gustavus  C.  Rose,  LaPorte,  Indiana. 
1844-1845.     Daniel  E.  Brown,  Schoolcraft,  Michigan. 
1845-1847.     George   W.   Richards,   St.   Charles,   Illinois. 
1848-1850.     E.    H.   Deming.   LaFayette,   Indiana. 

Physiology  and  Pathology : 

1847-1850.     Tompkins  Higday,  LaPorte,  Indiana. 
Demonstrator  of  Anatomy: 

1844-1847.     John   L.   Torrey,    Elgin,    Illinois. 

1848-1850.     George  W.  Lee,  Whitewater,  Wisconsin. 


13 

I'KANKI.IN      MKDICAL     COI.I.IXiK     U84.>1849) 

III  tlie  region  abiuit  40  miles  west  of  Chicago,  there  were  several  able 
jiractitioners  who  were  active  ])rece]Jtors  uf  students,  (ieorjjc  W. 
Richards  of  St.  Charles  and  Nichols  Hard  of  .Aurora  were  popular  with 
medical  students  and  had  facilities  for  dissection  in  their  o^1ll.■l•^.  In 
1848,  M.  L.  Knapp,  S|)eaking  of  I'rofessor  Richards,  stated  that  during 
the  ])receeding  spring  "as  many  as  eleven  subjects  were  dissected  under 
his  ])rivate  instruction."  '■' 

Keabbs  says  that  both  Professor  l\icli;inls  and  rrofessor  ii.ird  liad 
am])hitlieatres  in  the  u])i)cr  stories  of  their  offices,  where  they  gave 
lectures  to  their  students  and  where  an  al)undance  of  dissectinsj;  material 
was  .always  ready.'" 

In  1S42.  Richards  organized  a  medical  scIukj!  at  ."^l.  (  liailo,  ill., 
which  was  known  as  the  Franklin  Medical  College.  The  Western  Lancet 
of  January,  1843,  sjieaks  of  the  medical  college  at  St.  Charles  as  having 
been  organized  "during  the  past  year."  The  date  is  also  fixed  by  a  letter 
from  St.  Charles,  dated  Nov.  5,  1842,  in  which  Nichols  Hard  speaks 
of  his  arrival  at  St.  Charles  and  the  delivery  of  his  first  lectures.  He 
thought  the  "prospects  good  for  a  flourishing  school,"  and  adds:  "We 
shall  have  to  get  a  charter  from  the  Legislature  this  winter  and  can  not 
be  a|)i)ointed  Professors  until  we  get  a  charter."  He  also  ex])ressed  a 
belief  that  "the  institution  will  be  located  in  Chicago  eventually,  which 
is  a  pleasant  city  and  ofTers  every  advantage  of  Society."  " 

The  original  faculty  of  Franklin  Medical  College  ccjusisted  of : 
George  W.  Richards,  professor  of  anatomy  and  ])hysiology,  and  dean  of 
the  faculty ;  John  Thomas,  chemistry-  and  pharmacy,  and  president  of 
the  college ;  John  De  La  Mater,  surgery  ;  T'.dward  Mead,  materia  nicdica. 
therapeutics  and  jiathologic  anatomy;  Xicliols  Hard.  DJjstetrics  and 
diseases  of  women  and  children;  Samuel  l)cntiin,  tlieiir\  and  practice  of 
medicine.'-  it  has  been  impossible  to  Icirn  Imw  Icjug  the  facultv 
remained  as  given.  Richards  and  Hard  were  active  teachers  until  the 
school  susjiended  in  1S4''. 

That  this  school  operated  under  the  name  "l'"ranklin  Medical  College" 
is  ai)|)arent.  It  is  so  referred  to  in  the  Western  lancet,  in  which  the 
names  of  the  faculty  are  given,  and  in  the  announcement  of  the  Psycho- 
pathic  Retreat  at   Winchester,   Mass..   jniblished   in    1872.   the   former 

•  Knapp,  M.  L. :  Address  delivered  at  the  opening  of  llie  Rock  Islniid  Medic.nl  Sclloo!, 
Chicago,  1849. 

'»  The  Chieftain,  Keokuk,   1907. 

"  Personal  letter  from  Mrs.  H.  G.  Wright,  daughter  of  N.  Hani. 

"  Western  Lancet,  Cincinnati.  O.,  II,  June,  184.1,  p.  95. 


14 

teaching  positions  of  Edward  Mead  are  enumerated,  among  which  is 
"Professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics  and  pathological 
anatomy  in  the  Franklin  Medical  College  of  Illinois."  It  has  not  been 
possible  to  determine  that  the  school  ever  secured  a  charter.  In  1843, 
a  charter  was  issued  to  the  "Literary  and  Medical  College  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  to  be  located  in  the  town  of  St.  Charles,"  '"  and  in  1845  a 
charter  was  granted  to  the  "Franklin  Literary  and  Medical  College  of 
Illinois  to  be  located  in  the  city  of  Galena."  ^^ 

The  trustees  of  the  two  schools  were  entirely  ditterent.  and  neither 
correspond  to  those  given  as  trustees  of  the  Franklin  Medical  School 
by  Mrs.  Shibley.''' 

Strong  political  influence  appears  to  have  been  required  to  secure 
charters  from  the  Illinois  Legislature  at  that  time.  The  granting  of  a 
charter  in  1845  to  the  Franklin  Literary  and  Medical  College  of  Illinois 
to  be  located  in  Galena,  three  years  after  the  organization  of  the 
Franklin  Medical  College  of  St.  Charles,  arouses  the  suspicion  that 
this  was  a  scheme  to  prevent  the  Franklin  Medical  School  at  St.  Charles 
from  obtaining  a  charter  and  granting  degrees  under  its  name.  I  have 
been  unable  to  learn  that  a  medical  school  ever  operated  at  Galena.  Some 
of  the  men  who  were  connected  with  this  school  appear  to  have  expe- 
rienced similar  difficulty  in  securing  an  Illinois  charter  for  the  medical 
school  later  established  at  Rock  Island,  and  they  obviated  this  by 
operating  as  a  branch  of  a  medical  school  incorporated  in  Wisconsin. 

It  was  the  founding  of  the  schools  at  LaPorte  and  St.  Charles  that 
forced  Daniel  Brainard  to  open  Rush  Medical  College  sooner  than  he 
wished.  In  1844,  Richards  and  Hard  became  professors  in  the  school 
at  LaPorte,  and  being  unable  to  grant  degrees  at  St.  Charles,  they 
took  their  students  to  LaPorte  for  graduation. 

In  the  catalog  of  LaPorte  Medical  School  for  1846-7.  Richards 
and  Hard  are  given  as  preceptors  to  17  students.  The  St.  Charles  school 
came  to  an  end  in  1849.  A  recent  grave  in  a  neighboring  town  of 
Sycamore  had  been  robbed  of  its  occupant  and  the  students  at  St.  Charles 
were  blamed.  April  19,  1849,  an  armed  mob  of  citizens  was  formed 
and  went  to  Richard's  office  and  demanded  the  body.  The  family  fled 
over  a  stone  wall  back  of  the  house,  but  Richards  refused  to  leave.  He 
tried  to  convince  the  crowd  that  the  body  was  not  in  the  house  ;  but  when 
they  ])ersisted  in  entering,  he  closed  and  locked  the  door  and  braced 

"   Law";   of   Illinois,    18-)3,   p.    69. 

"  Ibid..   1S45.   r-   218. 

'■'•  The  OM  .ind  New   St.  Charles.  St.  Charles.   1909.  p.   7. 


15 

hiiiisell  against  it.  A  ririe  bullet  I'rom  one  of  llie  moii  i)eiietr;iteil  the 
door  anil  passed  through  the  doctor's  shoulder,  injurinjj  the  nerves  of 
the  brachial  i)lexus  >o  that  his  riglit  arm  was  always  (laralyzed.     ( )ne 

K.   s  .     .     ■        (- 


'ii»v.    V.V.    v.Acxv.K.l     uv-A^.^AA..aM^  \Va-  WJ^  \~«-»' 

^  ^-.>-A  ,^,,.  V*  ivy.rV,  v^.-.wA;  .iV>\..,   i,"v,V.,,^  ^*^-'A  >\i-^  t^<^ 


of  the  loyal  stiulents,  John  IvimjiI,  who  was  credited  with  securing  the 
body  in  question,  was  also  injured,  and  died  tmni  his  wounds.  The 
school  never  reopened.'" 

'•  History  of  Kane  County  by  Pliny  A.  Durant,  p.  1085;  Commemorative  Biographical  and 
Historical  Record  of  Kane  County,  111.,  Chicago,  1888. 


16 

Extensive  search  has  failed  to  reveal  any  circulars  or  other  items 
printed  by  the  St.  Charles  school,  and  there  is  no  available  information 
as  to  the  number  of  students  given  instruction.  However,  Franklin 
Medical  School  at  St.  Charles  represents  the  first  organized  eflfort  to 
teach  medicine  in  Illinois.  Good  teachers  were  included  in  the  faculty, 
and  some  of  them  were  later  prominent  in  other  schools.  None  of  the 
trustees  of  the  school  was  a  member  of  the  faculty.  The  work  was 
carried  on  in  quarters  above  a  store,  and  in  the  offices  of  the  teachers. 

FR.AXKLLX     MEDICAL     COLLEGE.     ST.     CH.ARLE.S.     ILLIXOIS 

1842-1849 

Xo  records  of  students.  Xo  degrees  granted. 

FACULTY 
Anatomy  and  Physiology : 

George   W.   Richards,  St.   Charles,   Illinois. 
Chemistry  and  Pharmacy : 

John  Thomas. 

Materia  Medica,   Therapeutics   and  Pathology : 

Edward  Mead. 
Surgery : 

John  De  La  Mater. 
Obstetrics   and  Diseases   of  Women   and   Children: 

Nichols  Hard,  Aurora,  Illinois. 
Practice  of  Medicine : 

Samuel    Denton. 

MEDIC.XL     DEP.\RT.MEXT     OF     ILLIXOIS     COLLEGE      (184j-1848> 

This  school  was  the  only  one  of  those  imder  consideration  which  was 
organized  as  a  department  of  a  going  college.  Instruction  in  Illinois 
College  had  been  given  since  1830.  For  two  years,  plans  had  been  matur- 
ing for  the  establishment  of  a  medical  department,  when  in  1843  the 
organization  was  completed.  Lectures  were  begun  Nov.  1,  1843,  about 
a  month  before  lectures  began  at  Rush  Medical  College.  Six  students 
were  given  the  degree  in  medicine  at  the  end  of  the  first  session.  From 
1843  to  1848,  inclusive.  43  received  a  medical  degree,  and  instruction 
was  given  to  more  than  100  students.  The  original  faculty  included 
David    Prince,    professor   of    anatomy    and    surgery :    Samuel    .\dams. 


17 

cliemistry,  maleria  iiifilica  and  tlieia|)ciitics ;  llcniy  Jnia->,  iil)stctrii.>, 
and  Daniel  Stalil,  theory  and  practice  of  nietlicine.  Stalil  served  onlv  one 
year.  Tlie  others  remained  on  the  facnhy  as  lon^  as  the  medical  dei)art- 
ment  oj)erate<l. 

In  1844.  a  "nieilical  hall"  was  hnilt.  'I'lie  bnildin^'  was  a  frame 
structure.  ( )n  the  first  floor  was  a  small  lahoratory  and  clinic  room  and 
a  ]arj,'e  dissecting  room.  The  second  Hoor  was  occu])ied  hy  a  small  room 
for  the  j)rofes,sors  and  a  large  room  in  which  lectures  were  given.  Many 
of  tile  lectures  were  given  in  the  college  cha])el.     (  See  l-'ig.  <>.  \i.  IS.  i 

In  1S45  and  1S46.  addition  to  the  faculty  consisted  of  juhn  lames, 
jmifessor  of  theory  and  practice  of  medicine;  John  L.  Miller,  anatomy 
and  jihysiology,  and  Kdward  Mead,  materia  medica  and  therapeutics. 
The  ne.xt  year.  Mead  resigned;  Miller  served  two  years.  In  1S47  and 
1848,  Henry  Wing  served  as  profes.sor  of  materia  medica  and  thera- 
peutics.   This  was  the  last  year  in  which  C(jnrses  in  medicine  were  given. 

The  school  was  not  discontinued  for  lack  of  students,  but  because  of 
its  unijopularity  in  the  community  and  among  the  teachers  in  other 
departments  of  the  college.  This  was  largely  due  to  the  "anatomical 
>|uestion."  Such  a  man  as  Prince  would  not  iiritcnd  tn  teach  anatomy 
without  dissecti(jns,  and  he  always  provided  subjects.  The  methods  of 
securing  subjects  for  dissection  in  a  small  community  were  always  open 
to  {|uestion,  and  Prince  came  in  for  his  share  of  blame.  ( )nce  the 
medical  building  of  the  college  was  surrounded  by  an  angry  mob  seeking 
vengeance  on  the  jirofessor  o{  anatomy  and  his  accomjilices  for  the 
sui)|,osed  ofl'ense  of  exhuming  the  body  of  a  governor  (Duncan)  Inr 
anatomical  purjjoses.  Only  the  timely  presence  of  Dr.  Samuel  Adams, 
with  assurance  and  ]jromise  to  the  family  and  ])ublic,  jirevented  a 
catastrojjhe.  It  is  likely  that  the  difticulty  in  securing  clinical  material 
was  keenly  felt,  and  ])laced  the  school  at  a  disadvantage  with  others 
which  were  developing  in  growing  young  cities  like  Chicago. 

(Jn  the  faculty  of  this  school  were  some  strong  and  able  men.  and 
it  is  likely  that  the  teaching  was  done  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

Samuel  .\<lams,  who  taught  chemistry,  jxissesscd  a  wide  education 
and  was  a  successful,  e.\|)erienced  teacher.  David  Prince  was  a  jiro- 
gressive  surgeon  and  a  good  teacher.  Daniel  .Stahl  was  a  man  of  wide 
culture,  of  e.xtensive  education,  and  fond  of  teaching.  Edward  Mead,  with 
his  scholarly  habits  and  complete  education  ;it  home  anil  aliru.-id,  was  a 


18 

strong  member  of  the  group  of  enthusiastic  j'oung  professors.  Persistent 
agitation  by  those  connected  with  the  medical  department  of  Illinois 
College  was  largely  responsible  for  the  establishment  of  the  first  state 
institution  for  the  insane  in  Illinois.  In  this  Edward  Mead  took  a 
leading  part. 

In  the  remote  country  town  of  Jacksonville,  of  about  2,500  inhabi- 
tants, with  its  college  atmosphere,  conditions  must  have  been  very 
favorable  for  the  teaching  of  the  fundamental  branches  of  medicine.^" 


Fig.  6.— Medical  De| 


College,  erected  in   1844. 


MEDICAL     DEPARTMENT     OF     ILLINOIS     COLLEGE, 

JACKSONVILLE,     ILLINOIS 

1843-1848 

Students,   102  Graduates,   43 

F.^CULTV 
Anatomy : 

1843-1845.     David   Prince,   Payson,  Illinois. 
1845-1847.    John   L.  Miller. 

Chemistry : 

1843-1848.     Samuel   Adams,   Jacksonville,   Illinois. 
Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics : 

1843-184S.     Samuel  Adams. 

1845-1846.     Edward   Mead,   St.   Charles,   Illinois. 

1847-1848.     Henry  Wing.  Collinsville,   Illinois. 

"  Black,  Carl  E.:    Illinois  College  Medical  School.  Bull.  Soc.  Med.  Hist,  of  Chicago,   1913. 
1,  p.    171.      Personal  communications  from   Dr.  Carl   E.   Black. 


19 

Surgery : 

1843-1848.     David  Prince. 
Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children: 

1843-184^.     Henry  Jones. 
Practice   ot    Medicine : 

1843-1844.     Daniel   Stahl,   Ottawa,    Illinois. 

1845-1848.     John   James. 

RISH    MEDKAL  COLLEGE    a84J    TO    PRESENT   D.\TE) 

An  act  to  incorporate  Rush  Medical  College  was  passed  by  the  Illinois 
(General  Assembly  at  \'andalia.  March  2.  1837."  An  outline  of  the  early 
history  of  Rush  Medical  College  is  given  by  Daniel  Brainard  in  an 
introductory  address  in  1855.'*    He  says: 

The  first  idea  of  the  establishment  of  a  medical  college  in  Chicago  dates 
back  as  far  as  1836.  In  the  .\utumn  of  that  year,  in  connection  with  the  late 
J.  C.  Goodhue  of  Rockford  in  this  State,  then  a  resident  of  the  City.  I  drew 
the  act  of  incorporation  and  had  it  presented  to  the  Legislature,  at  its  session 
in  \'andalia,  the  subsequent  winter.  The  application  for  a  charter  had  been 
made  in  good  faith,  and  with  the  full  expectation  of  immediately  organizing 
an  institution  under  it,  but  the  revulsion  which  took  place  in  business  in  1837, 
fell  with  blighting  influence  upon  private  and  public  enterprises  alike,  and 
some  of  those,  who,  the  year  before,  had  the  means  and  the  disposition  to  aid 
and  handsomely  endow  the  institution,  here  found  themselves  without  the  means 
of  supporting  their  own  families.  The  plan  for  the  immediate  organization 
was  therefore  dropped,  and  no  action  took  place  under  the  charter  before 
the  summer  of  1843. 

The  only  reason  discovered  for  the  selection  of  Rush  as  patron  saint 
of  the  institution  is  stiggested  in  a  letter  from  the  widow  of  A.  W. 
Davisson,  who  was  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  original  Rush 
faculty.  She  says:  "When  the  question  of  a  name  for  the  college  was 
discussed,  it  was  decided  to  name  it  after  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  of  Phila- 
delphia, then  deceased,  in  hope  of  his  heirs  handsomely  remembering  it. 
However  at  that  time,  they  received  no  more  titan  a  letter  of  thanks." 
Brainard  does  not  appear  to  have  especially  insisted  on  the  name,  and 
later  was  inclined  to  drop  it,  as  in  1854,  when  he  published  in  Paris  his 
"Memoire  sur  le  traitement  des  fractures  non  reunies  et  des  diffoniiities 
des  OS,"  he  placed  after  his  name  as  author  "Professeur  de  chirurgie  au 
college  medical  de  L'lllinois,  a  Chicago."  etc.  In  1853.  he  reported  to 
the  Paris  Academy  of  Science  the  results  nf  his  cxjieriments  on  the 

«•  Private  1.2WS  of  Illinois.    1873.  pp.   233-235. 

»  North-WMiem  MnJ.  &  Surg.  Jour..  1855.  12.  p.  537. 


20 

poison  of  the  rattle  snake,  as  "Professor  de  chirnrgie  an  College  niedicale 
de  Chicago  (Illinois)."  Also  in  his  introdnctory  address  of  1855,  he 
speaks  of  "The  Medical  College  of  Chicago."  The  name  Rnsh,  how- 
ever, continued  to  be  attached  to  the  college  ever  afterward. 

The  men  who  are  given  as  trustees  in  the  act  of  incorporation  com- 
prised a  strong  group.  They  were  some  of  the  most  able  and  successful 
of  the  citizens  of  Chicago.  Eight  were  lawyers,  half  of  whom  became 
judges  and  one  a  governor  of  Illinois.  Three  were  physicians,  2  clergy- 
men, and  4  prominent  business  men.  Without  exception,  these  men  were 
leaders.  They  were  the  men  who  were  most  active  in  all  public  enter- 
prises and  most  influential  in  directing  the  political,  educational,  religious 
and  financial  affairs  of  Chicago  and  Illinois.  Being  men  of  education 
and  culture,  they  appreciated  the  appeal  of  Brainard  in  his  effort  to 
establish  a  medical  school  which  should  furnish  physicians  of  a  desirable 
type  to  the  rapidly  growing  city  and  country.  Sketches  are  given  of 
the  3  physicians  who  were  trustees :  Josiah  C.  Goodhue,  Edmund  S. 
Kimberly,  John  T.  Temple. 

During  1839-1841,  Brainard  was  in  Paris  preparing  himself  for  his 
future  career  as  teacher  and  waiting  for  conditions  to  improve  so  that 
the  school  might  be  organized  under  favorable  circumstances.  In  Alay, 
1842,  Brainard  was  appointed  to  fill  the  chair  of  anatomy  in  St.  Louis 
University  where  he  gave  two  courses  of  lectures.  There  he  met  Dr. 
J.  V.  Z.  Blaney,  who  was  later  one  of  the  original  faculty  of  Rush 
Medical  College. 

In  the  summer  of  1843,  circumstances  seem  to  have  forced  the 
organization  of  the  school  at  Chicago.  In  a  letter  to  John  McLean,  dated 
Oct.  10,  1843,  Brainard  wrote :  "I  think  it  urgent  there  should  be  a 
commencement  made  this  season.  By  commencing  at  present  a  number 
of  students  might  be  prevented  from  going  from  this  region  to  other 
places  and  thus  give  advantages  to  other  schools."  See  Fig.  26.  p.  73.) 
Thus  impelled  by  the  issue  of  prospectuses  for  courses  of  lectures  by 
the  schools  at  LaPorte  and  St.  Charles,  Brainard  determined  to  inaug- 
tirate  his  school.  His  judgment  of  the  advantages  of  Chicago  over  the 
other  places  as  a  location  for  a  medical  school  was  soon  confirmed  by 
the  acute  foresight  of  Daniel  Drake.  During  the  summer  of  1844,  Drake 
visited  Chicago  for  the  purjxjse  of  collecting  material  for  his  work  on 
"Diseases  of  the  Mississippi  ^'alley."  He  did  not  think  LaPorte,  Jack- 
sonville, and  St.  Charles  places  where  flourishing  medical  colleges  could 


21 

l>e  Iniilt.  i  Ic  ciiiisiiltTfil  tliat  west  of  1  Vmisylvmiia  and  New  NUrk.  k-a\- 
iiifj  out  i>f  view  tlie  towns  on  or  near  tlic  ( )hio,  tlic  three  points  favoring 
and  requiring  inetlical  schools  were  St.  Louis.  Cliicago  and  Cleveland.-" 

During  the  summer,  the  faculty  was  orjjanized.  and  Icclures  were 
instituted,  Dec.  4,  1843. 

The  faculty  consisted  ol  Daniel  I'.rainard.  Chicai,'o.  ])rofesMir  of 
anatomv  and  surtjerv  :  |:i^.  \  .  /..  lUaiuy.  C'hica!,'ii,  c!iemisn\  and  materia 
medica :    |ohn    .McLean,   Jackson.    Midi.,   medicim- ;    .Moses    L.    Kna])]), 


p.:(ti;(^<^rj|i;ijpj^ij/iii]j^U«ftfiii|feif^^^ 


Fig.    7. —  Rush    Miciical    CuUcgi- 

Springfield,  111.,  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  cliildren,  and 
A.  W.  Davisson,  prosector. 

The  lectures  were  given  to  22  students  in  the  "srdoon"  huildini,'. 
southeast  corner  of  Clark  and  Lake  streets.  There  was  one  graduate. 
The  population  of  Chicago  was  then  about  7, .^00. 

Because  of  the  forcing  of  i'.raiiiard's  band,  tlie  preiiaraliniis  for  tlie 
first  course  of  lectures  were  made  in  haste  and  very  iniperfectl\ ,  Imt 
])lans  were  rapidly  carried  into  execution  to  correct  the  defects.     Durinj,' 

»'  nl.  Med.  &  SuTg.  Jciiir..  1844,  1.  p.   135. 


22 

the  summer  of  1844,  a  college  building  was  erected  at  77  and  79  N. 
Dearborn  Street,  the  southeast  corner  of  Indiana  Street,  at  a  cost  of 
about  $3,500,  and  the  second  course  of  lectures  was  conducted  under 
much  improved  conditions.'-'     (See  Fig.  7,  p.  21.) 

That  the  school  had  the  support  of  influential  people  is  indicated  by 

Brainard's  statement : 

We  are  proud  to  say  that  in  the  undertaking  we  have  been  aided  and 
cheered  by  the  smiles  and  encouragement  of  those  whose  sympathy  and  good 
opinion  we  most  highly  value.  Persons  distinguished  for  their  intelligence, 
and   their   works   of   charity,   their    social    virtue,    and    their   wealth,    have    not 

^Share8|M:|                             chicaqq.  ii-Lmois.                      ^^^^^ 
BE  IT  »NOW»,  Ti,at  /^^  J( 4-/e/a^,.4^ 

.  ■iil},il  i„    ,/f„r^/^ /—, ,hare  f  in  Iht  Ca/iifiil  SloA  of  Ike  Bush  Medical  College, 

ii"i  friiich  Fifty  Dalian  ■<«  ■■„  I,  ,l„irt  l,a-  btrit  ynri ;  Iraiujirabtt  on  llit  Ifxiki  of  Ih  Board  uf  Trusleet  of  laid 

Colleisf.  at  ll,e  Scrrelary's  OJfo,    in  Choaxu.  i,/    x'^<A    ^.    KJfdx'/t,. ^ 

or    /f<y^   Altormy  n„  ll„  „i,„,ul,r  „j  lliis  nrlifnoh. 

Ig  WllneiS   Whereof,  Ihe  ngnalurei  of  the  President  and  Secretary  of  the 
floanl  of  Trntlen  of   mid    VMgt    an    hereunto  affixed,  al  Chicago,  Ihii 

t/iiAA- ^      —    •Ian  of   ./linn.^AjKLYi 

A-  U.  18V^< 


./^.c,*^ 


^ ^     Prt4 


Fig.  8. — Stock  certificate  of  Rush  Medical  College. 

ceased  to  give  us  the  support  of  their  good  wishes,  their  advice,  and  in  case 
of  need,  of  more  substantial  aid. 

When  the  second  course  of  lectures  was  begun,  the  faculty  had  been 
strengthened  by  the  addition  of  Graham  N.  Fitch,  Logansport,  Ind. ; 
Austin  Flint,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Wm.  B.  Herrick,  serving  respectively 
in  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  woinen  and  children,  medicine,  and 
anatomy.  Moses  L.  Knapp  had  been  dropped.  The  following  year  the 
faculty  received  an  addition  in  John  Evans  of  Attica,  Ind.  In  1849. 
Thomas  Spencer  and  N.  S.  Davis  were  added  to  the  faculty. 

=1  The  first  ImiKliiic  of  Rush  Medical  College  was  erected  on  land  donated  by  Walter  L. 
Newberry.  Tli>  ^  Ov(  r,  Wm.  L.  Ogden  and  Arthur  Bronson.  They  also  gave  $500  toward 
the  buildii'ig.  1  Im  v  w, n  mlluential  men  and  interested  in  real  estate  north  of  the  river  and 
save  the  land  as  ,iii  iiidnmnent  for  the  school  to  locate  on  the  north  side.  Others  on  the  north 
side  and  on  the  soutli  sule  also  subscribed  "liberallv."  The  balance  of  money  was  made  up  bv 
the  faculty   members.      (Letter   Blaney  to  McLean.   July    17.    1844.) 


23 

Bv  1S5U.  Chicago's  iKipulation  liad  ymwii  u<  2S.2<>'^.  ami  the  city 
school  with  lietter  clinical  advantages  liatl  oiitrnn  the  country  schools. 
Rush  Medical  Collcfje  alone  reniaine<l  in  the  field.  The  other  schools 
had  discontinued  or  movetl  away.  L'p  to  this  tiinc,  132  had  {graduated 
from  Rush,  and  during  the  7  years,  ^M  students  had  been  in  attendance. 

The  early  j;raduates  of  Rush  hecanie  prominent,  successful  practi- 
tioners through  the  adjacent  country,  and  later  were  prominent  in  the 
organization  of  medical  societies. 

In  the  summer  of  1849.  when  N.  S.  Uavis  was  elected  a  ])rofessor  in 
Rush  Medical  College,  the  movement  for  reform  in  .\merican  medical 
e<iucation  was  well  under  way.  Davis  had  been  the  originator  of  the 
plan  and  an  active  agent  in  1846  in  putting  into  operation  the  National 
Medical  Association,  which  soon  developed  into  the  .American  Medical 
Association.  One  factor  which  interfered  with  the  ai)])lication  of  the 
measures  for  improvement  of  medical  education  was  the  increased 
expense  to  students.  In  February,  1849,  .\le.\ander  H.  Stevens,  who 
was  president  of  the  American  Medical  .Association  and  the  New  York 
State  Medical  Society,  delivered  his  annual  address  before  the  New 
York  State  Society  on  ".V  Plea  of  Humanity  in  Behalf  of  Medical 
Education."  in  which  he  urged  the  state  to  assume  the  burden  of  expense 
for  the  education  of  medical  students  on  the  ground  that  the  service  of 
medicine  to  the  state  was  very  large  and  that  the  e.xjjcnse  of  medical 
education  and  equipment  for  practice  was  very  great. -- 

When  Davis  delivered  the  introductory  address  at  Rush  Medical 
College  in  the  autumn  of  1849,  he  laid  emjjhasis  on  "the  inordinate 
exjiense  imjMised  on  the  student"'  as  one  obstacle  in  the  way  of  a  more 
thorough  and  complete  system  of  medical  education.-^ 

This  compelled  many  to  resort  to  those  country  schools  in  which 
lecture  fees  and  board  were  cheapest,  and  to  graduate  at  the  earliest 
practicable  moment.  The  expenses  were  also  entirely  out  of  proportion 
to  the  emoluments  afterward  resulting  from  practice,  7  to  10  years  of 
the  average  practitioner's  life  being  required  to  regain  the  amount 
sacrilied  in  time  and  money  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  his  profession. 
At  this  time,  Davis  announced  that  Rush  Medical  College  contemplated 
the  entire  altolition  of  the  professor's  ticket  fees  and  that  at  that  session 
the  tickets  for  3  chairs  were  given  without  charge. 

=  .\nnual  addrcM  delivered  before   the   Kew  York   Slate  Medical   Society   an.1   members  of 
the  le«i<lalure  at  the  Capital.  Feb.  6,   1849.  by  Alevander   H.   Stevens.  Albany.   1S-J9. 
*  Northwestern    Med.   St  Surg.  Jour..    11*4').   6.   \>.   365. 


24 

The  movement  to  reduce  students'  fees  was  met  liv  acrid  criticism 
from  many  schools  which  drew  students  from  the  central  district,  but 
was  ably  defended  by  the  ready  pen  of  the  young  reformer.  Another 
innovation  was  introduced  in  1849  by  Rush  Medical  College.  It  was 
announced  that  a  demonstrator  of  anatomy  would  be  selected  on  merit. 
This  was  to  be  determined  by  a  written  application  with  testimonials, 
by  dried  or  wet  preparations  in  human  or  comparative  anatomy,  and  by 
a  dissection  and  demonstration  before  the  faculty  of  a  region  of  the 
body  assigned  by  lot  among  the  candidates.  This  appears  to  be  the 
first  instance  of  the  use  in  the  United  States  of  a  public  concourse  for 
the  selection  of  a  medical  teacher.  This  method  of  free  competition  was 
strongly  advocated  by  Brainard.  and  was  in  active  operation  in  Rush 
Medical  College  for  many  years.-* 

While  the  "anatomical  question"  may  have  been  a  factor  in  deter- 
mining the  discontinuance  of  the  schools  outside  of  Chicago,  much  more 
influence  was  exerted  by  the  inability  of  the  country  schools  to  secure 
adequate  clinical  material.  Located  in  a  rapidly  growing  city  with  more 
available  material  resources  at  hand,  a  permanent  resident  faculty  soon 
developed  at  Rush  Medical  College.  Such  a  faculty  was  able  to  secure 
the  foundation  of  hospitals  whose  facilities  were  available  for  teaching 
students.  The  opportunities  and  advantages  of  the  city  school  were 
such  as  to  attract  the  more  able  and  ambitious  teachers  and  the  f  onnation 
and  operation  of  medical  schools  in  smaller  places  became  less  attractive 
and  more  difficult. 

RUSH     MEDICAL     COLLEGE,     CHICAGO.     ILLINOIS 

1843-1850 

Students,   532  Graduates,   132 

FACULTY 
Anatomy : 

1843-1844.     Daniel   Brainard,    Chicago,   Illinois. 
1844-  William  B.  Herrick,   Chicago,  Illinois. 

Chemistry  and  Pharmacy : 

1843-  .las.  Van  Zandt  Blaney,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics  : 

1843-1844.     Jas.  Van  Zandt  Blaney. 

1844-  John  McLean,  Jackson,  Michigan. 

=•  Ibid.,  1850,  6,  p.  457. 


25 

Surgery : 

1843-  Daniel  Brainard. 

Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of  Women   and  Children : 

lS43-184-t.    Moses  L.  Knapp,  Waynesville,  Illinois. 
1844-1845.    Graham   N'.   Fitch.   Longansport.  Indiana. 
1845-  John    Evans.   .-Xttica,   Indiana. 

Practice  of  Medicine : 

1843-1844.  John   McLean. 

1844-1&45.  Austin   Flint.  ButTalo.   New   York. 

1845-1849.  Graham  X.  Fitch. 

1849-1850.  Thomas    Spencer.    Syracuse.    New    York. 

Physiology  and  Pathologj- : 

1849-  Xathan  S.  Davis.  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Prosector  of  Anatomy : 

1843-1845.    A.  \V.  Davisson.  Chicago.  Illinois. 
1845-1846.  J.   Herman  Bird. 

Demonstrator  of  .\natomy : 

1848-1849.    J.  B.  Herrick.  Vandalia,  Illinois. 

ROlK    ISL.AXD    MKDIC.AL    SCHOOL    i  l!<481849)    COLLEGE    OF    PHYSICI.WS 
AND     SLRGEOXS     OF     THE     VPPEK     MISSISSIPPI     U8491850) 

In  1848,  the  Madison  Medical  College  was  incorporated  by  the 
W  isconsin  legislature.  In  its  chaii^er,  power  was  granted  to  create  a 
branch,  and  this  was  exercised  in  the  organization  of  the  Rock  Island 
Medical  School  at  Rock  Island.  111."' 

The  Madison  Medical  College  seems  never  to  have  done  any  business 
at  Madison.  The  Rock  Island  Branch  was  its  only  activity.  It  is  likely 
that  the  organization  was  effected  in  this  way  because  a  charter  was 
easier  to  secure  from  the  newly  organized  legislature  of  Wisconsin  than 
in  Illinois. 

The  incorporators  were  Geo.  W.  Richards.  Moses  I..  Knaj)]), 
Giandler  B.  Chapman,  John  V.  Smith,  Richard  S.  Maloney  and 
Nathaniel  W.  Dean.  The  first  three  were  on  the  faculty  of  the  Rock 
Island  School,  the  others  being  laymen.  Knapp  had  held  a  position  on 
the  original  Rush  faculty,  and  both  he  and  Richards  had  recentlv  severed 
their  connection  with  the  school  at  LaPorte.    The  faculty-  of  the  Rock 

"  Lotbrop.  Cha«.  H.:  Mtd.  &  Surg.  Dircctun-  of  the  Stale  of  Inwa;  Lvoik.  Iow.t.  isr6. 
p.  129.  Knapp.  M.  L.:  Addrfss  driivrrrd  at  llic  Opening  of  the  R.  ck  Island  Mrtlical  School. 
Nov.  7.  1848.  Chicago.  1849. 


24 

The  movement  to  reduce  students'  fees  was  met  by  acrid  criticism 
from  many  schools  which  drew  students  from  the  central  district,  but 
was  ably  defended  by  the  ready  pen  of  the  young  reformer.  Another 
innovation  was  introduced  in  1849  by  Rush  Medical  College.  It  was 
announced  that  a  demonstrator  of  anatomy  would  be  selected  on  merit. 
This  was  to  be  determined  by  a  written  application  with  testimonials, 
by  dried  or  wet  preparations  in  human  or  comparative  anatomy,  and  by 
a  dissection  and  demonstration  before  the  faculty  of  a  region  of  the 
body  assigned  by  lot  among  the  candidates.  This  appears  to  be  the 
first  instance  of  the  use  in  the  United  States  of  a  public  concourse  for 
the  selection  of  a  medical  teacher.  This  method  of  free  competition  was 
strongly  advocated  by  Brainard,  and  was  in  active  operation  in  Rush 
Medical  College  for  many  years.-* 

While  the  "anatomical  question"  may  have  been  a  factor  in  deter- 
mining the  discontinuance  of  the  schools  outside  of  Chicago,  much  more 
influence  was  exerted  by  the  inability  of  the  country  schools  to  secure 
adequate  clinical  material.  Located  in  a  rapidly  growing  city  with  more 
available  material  resources  at  hand,  a  permanent  resident  faculty  soon 
developed  at  Rush  Medical  College.  Such  a  faculty  was  able  to  secure 
the  foundation  of  hospitals  whose  facilities  were  available  for  teaching 
students.  The  opportunities  and  advantages  of  the  city  school  were 
such  as  to  attract  the  more  able  and  ambitious  teachers  and  the  fonnation 
and  operation  of  medical  schools  in  smaller  places  became  less  attractive 
and  more  difficult. 

RUSH     MEDICAL     COLLEGE,     CHICAGO,     ILLINOIS 

1843-1850 

Students,  532  Graduates,  132 

F.^CULTV 
Anatomy : 

1843-1844.     Daniel    Brainard,    Chicago,   Illinois. 
1844-  William  B.  Herrick,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Chemistry  and  Pharmacy: 

1843-  Jas.  Van  Zandt  Blaney,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics : 

1843-1844.     Jas.  Van  Zandt  Blaney. 

1844-  John  McLean,  Jackson,  Michigan. 

='  Ibid.,  1850,  6,  p.  457. 


25 

Surgery : 

1843-  Daiiiil  Hraiiiard. 

Obstetrics  and   Diseases  of  Wmneii   ami   C'liihireii : 

1843- 1S44.     Moses   L.   Knapp,  Waynesville.  Illinois. 
IS4-4-1S-45.     (iraliam   N.   Fitcli,   LoiiKaiisport,   Indiana. 
1845-  John   Kvans.  .Attica,   Indiana. 

Practice  of  Medicine  : 

1843-1844.  John   McLean. 

1844-184.=;.  .Viistin   Flint.   HulTalo,   New    York. 

I845-I84'>.  Graham   \.  Fitch. 

1849-1850.  Thomas   Spencer,   Syracuse,   .\e\v    ^'ork. 

Physiology  and   Pathology : 

1849-  N'athan   S.  Davis,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Prosector  of  .-\natoiny : 

184J-1845.     .\.  W.   Davisson,  Chicago,   Illinois. 
1845-1846.  J.   Herman  Bird. 

Demonstrator   of  .Anatomy : 

1848-1849.     J.   B.   Herrick.  \andalia,  Illinois. 

KOI  K    ISL.AXD    MKDKAL    SCHOOL    ( lS48-lS-t9)    COLLEGE    OF    PHVSICL\.NS 
.■\.\D     SCRGEONS     OF     THE     IPPER     MISSISSIPPI     084918501 

In  1848,  the  Madison  .Mi-diial  College  was  incorporated  by  tlie 
W  isconsin  legislature.  In  its  charter,  power  was  granted  to  create  a 
branch,  and  this  was  exercised  in  the  organization  of  the  Rock  Island 
Medical  School  at  Rock  Island,  111.-"' 

The  Madison  Medical  College  seems  never  to  have  done  any  business 
at  Madison.  The  Rock  Island  Branch  was  its  only  activity.  It  is  likely 
that  the  organization  was  efl'ccted  in  this  way  because  a  charter  was 
easier  to  secure  from  the  newly  organized  legislature  of  \\'isciiiisin  than 
in  Illinois. 

The  incor|)orators  were  (ieo.  W.  Richards,  Moses  L.  Kna])p, 
Chandler  B.  Chapman,  John  V.  Smith,  Richard  S.  Maloney  and 
Nathaniel  W.  Dean.  The  first  three  were  on  the  faculty  of  the  Rock 
Island  School,  the  others  being  laymen.  Knapp  had  held  a  position  on 
the  original  Rush  faculty,  and  both  he  and  Richards  had  recently  severed 
their  connection  with  tiie  school  at  I-aPorte.     The  faculty  of  the  Rock 

■  l/oihrop.  C\as.  H.:  MkI.  &  Surg.  Directory  of  Ihc  St.iic  of  Iowa:  Lyoin.  To»a.  1876. 
p.  129.  Knapp.  M.  L.:  .Addrrss  ddiverrd  at  the  Opening  of  the  Rock  Island  Medical  School. 
Nov.  7.  1848,  Chicago,  1849. 


28 

One  of  the  early  graduates  of  this  school  was  John  F.  Dillon,  who 
attended  the  course  at  Rock  Island  and  graduated  at  Davenport  in  1850. 
He  later  entered  the  legal  jnofession,  was  circuit  judge  for  10  \-ears,  and 


(vVW-  t  Y^^  *^/*»'-^  Wvx.^  v.H^    \Hi4iti»l">Aaj.V!;<  'lu   Ivti'uu     o  IW\v 
\nt     ^  oa^  ;Su»v  \\\Vi     i\i\xJ.   ^«^  '&\  111 '  <»^  W  ^V.U  ^!^lV^  ^\ui.  1*4, 


Fig.  :0.— Letter  to  G.  A.  Bunker  from  G.  W.   Richards,  Oct.  4,   1850. 

finally  accepted  the  professorship  of  law  in  Columbia  University,  New 
York,  in  1879.  Speaking  of  the  faculty  of  the  early  school,  he  said : 
"The  professors  as  a  body  were  able  men,  some  of  them  of  great  learn- 
ing and  even  genius."     Abler  teachers  than  Prof.  Richards  who  taught 


29 

practice.  Prof.  Sanfurd  who  taught  surgery  and  Prof,  .\rmor  who  tauglit 
physiology,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  liiid  in  the  chairs  of  any  con- 
temporary medical  institution."  •'" 

Of  the  graduates  of  this  early  school,  many  became  e.xcellent  ])racti- 
tioners,  and  a  few  attained  some  prominence  in  the  jirofession  of  the 
surrounding  territory. 

ROCK     1SL.-\.\D     MKDIC.\L    SCHOOL     (1848-49) 

COLLEGE    OF    PHVSICI.WS    .AND    SURGEONS    OF    THE 

UPPER    MISSISSIPPI     (1849-50) 

1848-1850 
Studonts.   4<)  Graduates.   43 

FACILTV 
.^natom\  : 

1848-1849.     W".  S.  Pierce,  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 
I849-I850.     Chandler  B.  Chapman,   Madison,  Wisconsin. 

Chemistry  and  Pharmacy : 

1848-1849.     Calvin  Goudv,  Tavlorville.   Illinois. 
1849-1850.    Orpheus   Everts. 

Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics : 

1848-1850.    Moses  L.  Knapp,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Physiology,   Pathology  and   Medical  Jurisprudence : 

1848-1850.     S.  G.  Armor,  Rockford,  Illinois. 
Surgery : 

1848-1849.     Chandler    B.    Chapman.    Madison,    Wisconsin. 

1849-1850.    John  F.  Sanford,  Farmington,  Iowa. 

Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children : 

1848-1850.    John   F.   Sanford,  Farmington,   Iowa. 
Practice  of  Medicine : 

1848-185C.     George   W.    Richards,   St.    Charles,    Illinois. 
Demonstrator  of  Anatomy: 

1848-1849.     Orpheus   Everts,  Fond  du   Lac,  Wisconsin. 

1849-1850.    J.  D.  Fisher. 

As  regards  courses  of  instruction,  requirements  for  graduation  and 
fees,  there  was  great  uniformity  among  these  schools,  and  they  cor- 
responded to  those  in  vogue  in  the  eastern  schools  of  the  period.  Raising 
of  fees  or  lengthening  the  time  occupied  by  the  course  of  study  beyond 

=•  l..wa  Mrd.  Jour..   1908.   p.   .107. 


30 

those  adopted  by  neighlxjring  schools  were  avoided  as  tending  to  turn 
prospective  students  to  the  rivals. 

The  common  requirements  for  graduation  were:  (1)  age  of  21 
years;  (2)  good  moral  character;  (3)  three  years  of  study  under  a 
preceptor  and  attendance  on  two  courses  of  lectures,  the  last  of  which 
must  be  in  the  institution  ( it  was  usual  to  accept  several  years  of  practice 
as  equivalent  to  one  course  of  lectures)  ;  (4)  a  thesis;  (5)  payment  of 
fees  in  advance. 

In  its  first  catalog,  the  Medical  School  of  Illinois  College  required  a 
competent  acquaintance  with  the  Latin  language,  but  omitted  it  subse- 
quently.   The  formality  of  a  final  examination  was  usually  insisted  on. 

The  fees  for  a  course  of  lectures  were  $10  for  each  professor,  or  a 
total  of  $60,  together  w4th  a  matriculation  fee  of  $5  and  a  graduation 
fee  of  $20.  In  each  school,  the  dissection  fee  was  $5,  but  it  was  always 
optional. 

The  payment  of  fees  was  often  made  by  signing  notes  which  were 
assigned  to  the  individual  professors  and  later  paid  from  the  proceeds  of 
practice.  This  appears  to  have  been  quite  general.  In  the  announcement 
of  its  second  session  in  1849-50.  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  the  Upper  Mississippi  states  that :  "The  Professors  will  conform  to  the 
usage  in  neighboring  schools,  in  receiving  the  obligation  of  such  students 
as  cannot  conveniently  pay  cash  down,"  but  "the  matriculation  and 
graduation  fee  must  be  cash  down."  In  the  catalog  of  Illinois  College 
for  1847,  it  appears:  "No  young  man  will  be  excluded  from  the 
privileges  of  this  institution  for  want  of  means  to  pay  for  his  ticket  in 
advance.  But  we  trust  that  those  who  have  friends  or  relations,  who 
are  alale  to  help  them,  will  always  esteem  it  more  honorable  to  be  in 
debt  to  those  friends  than  to  a  public  institution."  The  catalog  of  the 
Indiana  Medical  College  in  1846-47  states  that  "Payment  in  advance 
is  expected  from  all  who  can  raise  the  means.  Those  who  cannot  need 
not  stay  away;  the  professors  will  at  discretion  extend  to  them  credit." 
In  the  catalog  of  Rush  Medical  College  for  1847-48,  it  is  stated :  "A 
credit  of  twelve  months  will  be  given  for  half  the  Professors'  Tickets 
if  secured  by  a  joint  note,  bearing  interest." 

The  money  secured  for  matriculation  and  graduation  seems  to  have 
been  reserved  to  cover  the  running  expenses  of  the  schools.  The 
immediate  remuneration  of  the  teachers  was  derived  from  the  lecture  fee 
of  $10,  which  was  paid  each  professor  by  the  student.  When  the  student 
paid  his  fee  to  the  professor,  he  was  given  a  ticket  for  the  course.   These 


31 

tickets  were  can- fully  iireserved  and  were  often  kept  l)y  the  men  wiio 
received  tlieni  as  lun^  as  tliey  lived.  (See  l''i{;.  11.  ]).  .M,  and  l-'it;.  12, 
]).  .>3. )  in  the  case  of  those  teachers  wiio  traveled  some  distance  from 
home  to  give  their  lectures  and  who  ahandoned  their  ])ractice  for  the 
l)eriod,  the  remuneration  does  not  seem  very  large.  It  was  liecause  of 
the  inadeiiuate  pay  that    I'lint   tantjht  niilx    mie   \ear   in    l\nsl\    Medical 


r^) 


'<f  > 


olnivrrcili) « iiu  !Jiiiltiit/>rU>narij 


"'/'     '/ 


"T 


ANATOMY*  PHYSIOLOKV 

'^  J-lmbrreiti)  .^riv  "Watr^t  J  }ni>  1  Im  1;  -' 

■  ";  -  //^  O; ,  /^„.^.,.  Or/ '.  /' 


itliciiiiilni  4ii»  jUjItru  .<llc»u 


J:<;^5   J)l)I?»lt(iin0  «:  siirotona,   'v!^ 

vO;  '■'</1.17-/.£A-.,.VMVir/0.VY,  W? 

O:        uj  w'lu.  .M.uier,  .11.  D.       j*^:;- 


l-r:..!!.-,.  .J-  n.v.lr  .i.„l  M„li,  ;,|  Ji,rt»|.nMl.-iirr 


College,  and  Stahl  hut  a  year  at  Jacksonville.  ( iraliani  .\.  |-"itch.  after 
going  from  Logansport,  Ind..  to  Chicago  for  several  years  to  lecture, 
referred  to  it  as  "small  ])otato  business."  The  teaching  positions  were 
much  more  valuable  to  the  resident  teachers,  who  v.'ere  able  to  carry  on 
their  private  jiractice  without  intcrru])tion.  These  factors  operated 
against  the  country  school. 


32 

The  length  of  the  term  of  instruction  in  each  school  was  16  weeks, 
beginning  November  1  in  three,  and  December  1  in  one.  The  time 
occupied  by  the  course  of  lectures  was  so  arranged  as  to  come  during 
the  part  of  the  year  when  the  work  on  the  farm  was  least  exacting, 
since  most  of  the  students  were  farmers'  sons.  Preliminary  and  spring 
courses  were  sometimes  given  but  did  not  count  for  graduation. 

The  facuhies  consisted  of  from  5  to  7  professors.  The  designation 
of  the  chairs  and  combinations  of  subjects  in  various  chairs  differed 
somewhat  among  the  schools.  In  general,  the  chairs  were  medicine, 
surgery,  anatomy,  chemistry,  materia  medica  and  therapeutics,  obstetrics 
and  diseases  of  women  and  children,  and  physiology.  Often  anatomy 
and  surgery  were  united  in  one  chair.  Medical  jurisprudence  might  be 
placed  with  materia  medica  and  therapeutics.  Physiology  and  pathology 
were  usually  placed  together  and  with  them  medical  jurisprudence  was 
sometimes  coupled.  The  faculty  always  ended  with  a  "Demonstrator 
of  Anatomy,"  whose  function  was  to  secure  subjects  for  dissection  as 
well  as  to  aid  in  the  practical  study  of  anatomy. 

Most  members  of  the  faculties  did  not  live  where  their  schools  were 
located.  They  came  to  the  schools  for  a  few  weeks,  gave  their  lectures 
and  returned  home  to  resume  their  practice  for  the  rest  of  the  year. 
A  migratory  faculty  of  this  sort  had  been  common  everywhere  in  this 
country,  and  the  permanent  resident  faculty  only  became  established  as 
the  country  schools  were  displaced  by  schools  in  cities. 

The  material  equipment  of  a  school  of  the  character  indicated  was 
not  elaborate.  Rooms  for  lectures,  a  suitable  dissecting  room,  and  a 
chemical  laboratory  of  a  simple  sort  comprised  about  all  that  was  needed 
as  regards  buildings.  At  Jacksonville,  most  of  the  teaching  was  done  in  a 
small  two-story  frame  building,  known  as  the  "medical  Iniilding."  Init 
some  classes  were  held  in  the  other  college  buildings. 

At  LaPorte,  Chicago  and  Jacksonville,  special  buildings  were  erected 
for  the  medical  schools.  Buildings  and  rooms  were  leased  for  the 
medical  school  at  Rock  Island  and  Davenport. 

The  departments  of  anatomy  were  usually  ])rovided  with  charts,  and 
dissected  preparations  for  purposes  of  demonstration,  "cabinets"  of 
chemicals,  minerals,  etc.,  are  spoken  of  in  the  announcements.  Free 
dispensaries  and  clinics  of  ambulatory  cases  were  utilized  for  clinical 
teaching.  The  material  was  necessarily  limited  in  quantity  and  variety, 
and  the  supply  depended  largely  on  the  reputation  of  the  professor  who 
treated  the  patients.  With  poor  and  slow  transportation,  cases  could  not 
be  brouijht  anv  considerable  distance. 


33 

Dissecting  material  in  aluimlance  was  n>iially  ailvcrtised  in  the 
announcements.  The  anatomy  i|nestion  was  always  a  tmuhlesnnie  one  in 
the  earlier  me<lical  schiH)ls  in  America,  as  it  had  l)een  in  I-"<linl>urj,'h  and 
London.  In  1S44.  .Xnstin  Flint,  speakin-,'  of  the  difhculty  of  secnring 
inidies  for  dissection,  said: 


L,   _  -  --.  -~~-  - 

■  •ft  •<«■.. 1  <«iiit<. 

«j    ;M«««fMc«l»ie*ntir. 

;     M..t     J«ttl..l     <.M      . 

"  _      ;    -■■-'■  ■  ■  ■»-*_  - 

vmiKH  iii;iiii\»  1 111:1:  vri:i  Til- 

-    '  ;■  '•" 

C_?i±;;w;  is:?^::.-... 

~Pi;iNCII>LCr.  AND   PRACTICE 

■^  V  •»  •  ••'>>»  m  „ 

*i  TVgaAt  trtX'n  «  » 

^   •-"..*,  "xl..      »   -.  : 

"'— A«^_       •. 

Kisii  \\\:w\\.  M.I. M.I, 1, 

INSTITUTES   ANO    PRACTICE 

1.'   ^H     'II.IMI    il.    1  11:. 1   l.'l. 

■  r  S'J-\y  -J- 

liXC-jTirs;  til  t jisTXj-jac; 

-;                    BBIIOIXC: 

tW^S    1^    VXV^QIKX. 

lltttlil  H  tl«il  111  CIIIHII 

'••     ^.r^...^^ 

JilH\    tl\\>    ■*    11 

Iiiiai}  <|iictiii.ii  6«iita(. 

It  ti  g  1)   f  n  1  9  1  c  .1 1    c  0  1 1 1  n  r  < 

Jl'ir:2I  UXJiSUJ^h  UbXXXAX 

i.ZZZ-T.-J.- 

11  ■lUK.  £  OK  IKSinUICS 

^  a  ^  -.^  .:>  _!  ^  .. 

v^vt^\tv*\  ^v^\t\iikV 

».  Jw^_      _ 

«^.'- 

'■   ^ 

_ 

il«at  JM(»f(al  Coiitoi- 

imaQ  itlrVUai  College. 

.UHaij    <«  tBir  .11   eniir^r. 

'™=""".'-'"" 

""""'■,'"■'"" 

_i  .i  -J"  J  i  d  J  i  .i  -.y  J  i> ..» 

•  ■aaiavav. 

■  ■0Boaa». 

Ill  m:t 

..,-„ 

''•  .  >.jr^^    ^«My., 

»-  .    . 

.4 /;5  *« iLK~- 

^^^\....       ,.  , 

—    '  .       .   '.          --f  ■ 

The  position  which  legislation  generally  sustains  at  present  toward  this 
suliject  is  truly  anomalous.  In  its  requirements  tor  ample  knowledge  and 
its  penalties  fur  ignorance  and  mal  practice,  in  effect,  it  holds  the  following 
language  to  the  medical  student  and  practitioner:  "You  must  not  fail  to 
make  yourself  acquainted  with  the  construction  of  the  human  machine,  com- 
posed of  a  multitude  of  parts,  comhined,  and  variously  involved  with  each 
other;  and  if  you  arc  not  found  thoroughly  conversant  with  this  intricate 
pursuit,  you   render   yourselves   liable  to  heavy  damage*    in   .n   civil    suit ;"   hut 


34 

it  coiitiiuies  in  the  next  section  to  hold  forth,  "do  not  dare  to  study  the  consti- 
tution of  the  human  body,  and  the  operation  of  its  organs  and  functions,  if 
you  would  avoid  the  pain  of  punishment  by  fine  and  imprisonment.*' 

Realizing  that  practical  anatomy  could  only  be  learned  with  the  aid 
of  careful  dissection  of  human  bodies,  conscientious  teachers  of  anatomy 
everywhere  in  this  covmtry  saw  that  the  required  material  was  secured. 
In  doing  this,  they  exposed  themselves  to  annoyance  and  often  to 
personal  dangers. 

In  1770,  the  house  of  Dr.  Shippen  of  Philadelphia  was  attacked  by 
a  mob  and  the  windows  broken  because  of  the  report  that  the  church 
burying-groimd  had  been  despoiled  to  furnish  material  for  his  private 
class  in  anatomy.  In  New  York,  a  century  later,  the  report  of  stolen 
bodies  precipitated  a  mob  attack  on  the  dissecting  room  of  Columbia 
College,  with  riots  lasting  two  or  three  days. 

Scandals  connected  with  securing  anatomical  material  also  appeared 
in  the  West.  At  Cincinnati,  the  culmination  was  reached  when  the 
body  of  John  Scott  Harrison,  son  of  Wra.  Henry  Harrison,  and  father 
of  Benjamin  Harrison,  was  found  in  the  dissecting  room  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio. 

Our  pioneer  schools  also  had  similar  experiences.  At  St.  Charles, 
the  house  of  Geo.  W.  Richards  was  visited  by  a  mob,  organized  to  secure 
the  body  of  a  young  woman  stolen  by  his  students.  At  Jacksonville,  a 
similar  visit  to  the  luedical  building  was  made  by  a  mob  intent  on  finding 
the  disinterred  Ijody  of  a  governor  (Duncan).  At  Rock  Island  also 
there  was  "excitement." 

In  the  earlier  days,  the  student  was  usually  expected  to  seciu-e  his 
own  subject,  and  was  aided  in  this  by  his  associates  and  the  demonstra- 
tors and  perhaps  by  the  professor  of  anatomy.  Later,  when  established 
medical  schools  created  a  demand  for  subjects  for  dissection,  the  pro- 
curing and  disposing  of  bodies  passed  into  the  hands  of  certain  persons 
who  followed  this  as  a  profession,  and  were  known  as  "resurrectionists." 
The  price  paid  for  bodies  was  from  $10  to  $23. 

Fearless  men  such  as  Daniel  Meeker,  David  Prince,  and  Ceo.  W. 
Richards  were  needed  to  carry  out  the  anatomical  program  in  ])rimitive 
conditions. 

The  tales  told  by  the  partici])ants  have  been  lurid,  sometimes  over- 
colored,  but  in  fact  they  sometimes  equaled  the  vivid  descriptions  of 
R.  L.  Stevenson  in  the  "Body  Snatcher." 

»  Reciprocal  Duties  .ind  Obligations  of  the  Medical  Profession  and  the  Public,  introductory 
lecture  delivered  at   Rush   Medical  College.   Chicago,   1844. 


35 

\\  ill)  tlie  apiwrent  piiriK)se  of  ilivi-rting  piiMic  attention  in  mi  tlic 
local  origin  of  subjects  tor  dissection.  Ijotli  tlie  I-al'orte  and  Jacksonville 
schools  in  their  circulars  stated  tiiat  an  ample  supply  of  sui>jects  was 
obtained  from  "abroad,"  and  in  the  circular  of  his  Practical  Sciiool  for 
Anatomy  and  Surgery  at  Madison.  \\  is.,  C.  B.  Chapman  urged  early 
ai){ilication  in  order  "to  give  time  to  provide  material  before  tile  close 
of  navigation." 


rlRCI'LAR  AND  CATALilClE 


F.\CILTY  -VND  STUDE.NTS 


COLLEGE  OF  PHYSICIANS  AND  SURGEONS 


IVE8TERS  DISTRICT  OF  THI  STATE  OF  KEW  TORS. 


IRFIELD,  nEREIMER   CorKTV. 


E.  w.  A  r.  (KiiniEK. 


CATALOGUE 

Tl<I^^TI,■l:« 

;.  ut  I'll  i:ks  tKii 

vriiiir.\TS 

l\ll||\l 

\if:«inL 

niiiUF. 

^awuon  int- 

■■'■ 

• 

LA  FORTE    i> 

•  •  I 

ISS8 

Fig.   13 
IJ   anij    14. — Title  itage;.  uf  calalugs 


:d   liy   the   medical    ^.-huols 


The  lirst  state  to  provide  a  law  giving  the  bodies  of  persons  unclaimed 
by  friends  to  recognized  medical  institutit)ns  was  Mas.sachusetts.  This 
was  in  1830.  The  Pennsylvania  law,  passed  in  18<S3.  has  served  as  a 
mwlel  for  other  states.  The  Illinois  law  was  ])assed  in  1885.  These 
laws  could  only  be  passed  after  repeated  outrages  to  the  feelings  of  the 
public  had  brought  it  to  accept  such  measures  for  self  protection." 

••  Bardecn.  C.  R.:  Anatomv  in  .\mrrica.  Bull.  Univ.  of  Wis..  \o.  115.  Madison.  190S. 
Otto.  Juettner.  Daniel  Drake  and  his  followers.  1909.  p.  392.  Bardeen,  C.  R..  in  Kelly.  Ifoward 
A.:  Cyclopedia  of  .\iner.  Med.  Biography.  1912,  1.  introduction  p.  XI.  Morton  and  Wix>dbur»; 
History  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital.   Philadelphia,   1897.  p.   493. 


36 

The  rivalry  between  these  schtKils  was  acute.  The  field  could  not 
permanently  support  all  of  them,  and  the  struggle  was  for  existence.  In 
the  primitive  conditions,  the  methods  of  combat  were  probably  not  always 
refined.  Evidence  of  this  appears  in  the  few  available  letters  written  by 
teachers  and  students.  As  the  reputation  of  the  school  and  its  professors, 
as  well  as  the  remuneration  of  the  teachers  depended  largely  on  the 
number  of  men  in  attendance,  competition  for  students  was  acute.  Each 
professor  was  expected  to  bring  as  many  students  as  possible  from  his 
region.  During  vacation,  students  were  employed  to  round  up  prospec- 
tive students  and  were  paid  by  reduction  or  remission  of  their  fees. 
Some  of  the  professors  gave  popular  lectures  in  the  country  and  so 
helped  to  spread  the  reputation  of  their  schools. 

Annual  announcements  or  catalogs  were  issued  by  each  school.  They 
contained  lists  of  trustees,  faculty,  and  students.  They  described  the 
physical  equipment  of  the  school  and  its  advantages.  The  cost  of  tickets 
and  of  living  was  stated.  A  list  of  textbooks  was  added.  In  speaking 
of  similar  publications  l)y  the  medical  schools  of  Cincinnati  about  the 
same  time,  Juettner  ^-  said :  "The  announcements  issued  by  the  schools 
impress  the  readers  of  today  as  being  strangely  at  variance  with  the 
unwritten  laws  of  tact  and  taste.  They  read  like  an  advertisement  of  a 
merchant  passing  his  wares."  It  is,  however,  to  be  rememljered  that  our 
group  of  schools  only  followed  the  example  of  older  ones  farther  east. 
They  made  much  of  the  buildings,  "anatomical  nniseums"  and  "cabinets." 
(See  Figs.  13,  14,  15,  16.  17,  pp.  35,  i7  and  38. ) 

In  1847,  the  Indiana  Medical  College  announced : 

The  faculty  have  been  at  great  expense  in  importing  a  large  English  micro- 
scope; and  they  now  take  pleasure  in  assuring  the  profession  of  the  North 
West  that,  hereafter,  the  students  of  this  school,  in  their  investigations  in 
Microscopic  and  Physiological  Anatomy,  will  have  the  benefit  of  as  perfect  an 
instrument  as  the  students  of  any  other  similar  institution  in  this  country. 
This  will  also  enable  the  incumbents  of  the  different  chairs  to  push  their 
demonstrations,  as  occasion  may  require,  far  beyond  the  limits  of  natural 
vision. 

In  1845,  the  Medical  Department  of  Dartmouth  College  also 
annotmced  that  "the  professor  of  Anatomy  has  received  from  Paris  one 
of  Chevalier's  best  coinpovmd  Achromatic  Microscopes,  with  a  magnify- 
ing power  which  may  be  varied  from  50  to  3,000  diameters,  or  nine 
million  areas."  We  may  imagine  that  occasion  did  not  often  require  the 
use  of  these  instruments. 

s=  Daniel  Drake  and  his  Followers,  1909,  p.  212. 


37 


Tlic  ]iractice  of  delivering  introiiuctury  lectures  hy  meinl)ers  of  the 
faculty  at  the  bejiinning  of  sessions  of  medical  sc1uk>1s  was  early  estab- 
lished as  a  custom  in  America,  and  jiersisted  until  recent  times.  These 
addresses  form  an  interesting  [wrt  of  medical  literature.  They  deal  with 
a  wide  variety  of  subjects  and  sometimes  atYoril  us  a  glimpse  of  the 
authors  which  is  not  .secured  otherwise.  Many  arc  devoted  to  general 
advice  to  the  student.     Some  deal  with  |nircly  scientific  subjects.     In 

AN.MAL  A.NXOLi.\CE.MENT 


KU511    .MKDirAF.    COI.I.KfiE, 


SESSION  IH>-I. 


CHICAGO, 
-ro  AT  THK  DfJiOcaAT  omciL 
1«43. 

Fig.   16 
V  the  nu-.lic.il    -.chot.ls. 


many,  much  intimate  historic  information  regarding  the  schools  is 
recorded  which  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  place.  Especially  note- 
worthy are  the  introductory  addresses  by  Benj.  Rush,  which  comprise 
a  choice  bit  of  American  medical  literature. 

The  custom  of  giving  introductory  lectures  was  fortunately  ado|)ted 
by  the  pioneer  schools  under  consideration.  Addresses  written  by 
Brainard,  Flint,  Davis,  Knajjp  antl  others  furnish  us  with  almost  the 
only  accurate  information  we  ix)ssess  of  the  early  days  of  the  schools, 
and  give  us  an  idea  as  to  what  the.se  men  attempted  to  do.  They  also 
reveal  something  of  the  struggles,  jealousies  and  rivalries  of  the  schools. 


38 

T(i  this  opening  address  the  ])ublic  was  invited  and  welcomed.  A 
public  address  by  a  prominent  man,  perhaps  a  nonresident  member  of  the 
faculty,  was  doubtless  an  outstanding  event  in  the  small  communities  in 
which  the  schools  were  located.  In  this  way,  the  public  was  reliably 
informed  on  matters  of  general  medical  interest  and  on  the  purposes 
and  aims  of  medical  practice.  The  subjects  for  the  addresses  were 
varied,  and  the  presentation  such  as  to  appeal  both  to  the  medical  student 

CATALOKVB 


OFFICERS    AND    STUDENTS 


ILLINOIS  COLLEGE. 


FOR  THE  YEAR  ENDING  JUNE,  1844. 


PRINTED  AT  THE   •TELEGRAPH"  OFFICE. 

1644. 

Fig.   17. — Title  page  of  catalog  issued  by  the  medical  schools. 

and  the  layman.  The  student  was  given  good  advice  as  to  his  studies  and 
future  practice.  Different  phases  of  medical  history  were  presented, 
including  that  of  the  institution  itself.  The  most  brazen  forms  of 
quackery  then  flourished  unopposed  by  any  legal  regulation  of  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine.  In  many  addresses,  the  evils  and  dangers  of  quackery 
were  dwelt  on,  and  the  students  were  urged  to  avoid  any  association  with 
such  practice.    A  splendid  address  by  Austin  Flint  was  delivered  at  the 


39 

oi>cning  ut  the  sccimd  session  of  Rush  Mt-dical  College  in  1S44  on  ilie 
reciprocal  duties  and  obligations  of  the  medical  profession  and  the 
public."     He  tm)k  occasion  to  insist  that  the  ohligation  of   furnishing 


•t»in«ru  iTTit^  m  fl«UKin»A 


■iwrii  riorc»iii\  iMiricriit 


SVSH  MEDICAL  COLUUiE 


H*a  iiiv..i  utiiicM.  j'-aixiu 


M.  L.  IM»>».  ••^I; 


INTBODVCIORY  LECTCaE. 


AXrORD^  M  », 


FiK.    IJ*. — Title    pages   of   intro<lucl< 


op|K>rtunity  for  pro]ier  medical  education  tlrrough  the  estalilishment  of 
endowments  for  medical  schools,  hos|)itals.  etc..  rested  on  the  public 
since  the  resulting  benefits  were  to  be  enjoyed  by  it.     He  also  urged  that 


"  Flinl,  Auslin:    The  Rrciiirxcal   Diiti 
Public.  Chicago,  1844. 


..(    the    Me.lical   Profc 


40 

measures  be  enacted  for  securing  by  legal  means  materials  for  the 
practical  study  of  anatomy.  The  benefits  to  the  puljlic  from  necropsies 
were  also  pointed  out. 

The  educational  value  of  such  addresses  to  the  public  as  well  as  the 
stimulating  effect  on  the  young  men  must  have  been  considerable. 

The  addresses  were  often  printed  in  pamphlet  form,  ostensibly  to 
satisfy  a  desire  of  the  students.  The  formal  request  for  publication  to 
the  author  by  a  committee  of  the  class  was  usually  printed  on  the 
first  page.     (See  Fig.  18,  p.  39.) 

Country  medical  schools  had  always  to  defend  themselves  against 
city  schools  which  had  better  advantages  for  clinical  teaching.  They 
tried  to  offset  this  by  their  own  advantages  in  other  respects. 

In  its  competition  for  students  with  other  schools,  the  country 
location  of  the  Fairfield  College  was  advanced  as  a  great  disadvantage. 
In  its  circular  for  1839,  it  defended  itself  in  this  manner: 

The  College  is  within  8  miles  of  the  Great  Rail-Road  from  Albany  to 
Utica;  and  any  Medical  Student,  who  is  deterred  from  coming  to  the  Institu- 
tion by  the  dread  of  riding  over  8  miles  of  a  country  road,  had  better  choose 
some  other  profession  than  that  of  Medicine.  It  is  true,  that  the  village  has 
only  one  tavern,  and  no  theatre,  except  the  anatomical,  and  not  a  single  grocery 
licensed  to  sell  ardent  spirits,  but  it  has  three  churches,  a  moral  population, 
and  good  boarding-houses.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  parents  will  think  these 
advantages  sufficient  to  counterlialance  tlie  want  of  incentives  to  idleness  and 
dissipation." 

In  its  catalog  for  1842,  Castleton  Medical  College,  Castleton,  \'t., 
made  a  ])lea  for  its  advantages  because  of  its  rural  location. 

Remote  as  we  arc  from  the  ten  thousand  snares  and  dangers  attendent 
upon  college  life  in  large  and  populous  cities,  and  aloof  from  the  multiplied 
sources  of  excitement  and  agitation  inseparable  from  a  city  residence,  our 
location  in  this  retired  spot,  would  seem  to  offer  peculiar  facilities  for  reflec- 
tion and  study  where,  as  in  the  academic  groves  of  the  ancient  Lyceum,  we 
may  cultivate  the  pursuits  of  philosophy  without  annoyance  or  interruption  from 
without.  And  while  we  would  make  no  comparison  which  would  be  deemed 
invidious,  we  may  claim  for  this  college,  a  healthy  location  in  the  midst  of  a 
virtuous  population,  happily  exempt  from  those  fashionable  places  of  pulilic 
entertainment,  where  vice  is  decked  in  attractive  garb,  and  where  demoraliz- 
ing influences  are  arrayed  in  splendid  magnificance,  thus  lending  a  charm  to 
the  corrupting  snares  so  often  fatal  to  the  young.  Here  the  practice  of  sobriety 
and  temperance  is  universal,  the  public  sentiment  of  the  entire  population  having 
banished  the  traffic  and  use  of  all  intoxicating  drinks,  by  withholding  licenses, 
even  from  the  hotels,  within  miles  around  their  quiet  town.  When  our 
proudly  eminent  rivals  in  the  city,  are  able  to  make  a  similar  announcement, 
we  shall  no  longer  make  an  exclusive  claim  to  this  pre-eminence.^' 

«  Circular  of  the  College  of  Phvs.  &  Surg,  nf  the  Western  District  of  the  State  of  N.  V.. 
Fairfield,   Herkimer  Co.,  Albany,   1839. 

2=   Catalogue  Castleton    Medical   College,   1S4.' 


41 

In  18J5,  1>T.  T.  Rumcyn  Picik,  one  of  tlic  n)o>t  >cliolarly  men  in  tlic 
American  ine»lical  i)rottssion  in  tlic  first  hall  ol"  tlie  l^tli  century, 
publislied  a  i)hamplilet  dcteniiin^'  the  country  medical  school  of  the 
I)eriCKl,  referrinj,'  especially  to  the  one  at  I'airlield.  N'ew  York/"  1  Ic  did 
not  l)elittle  the  advantages  of  a  city  medical  sciiool  with  ])roi)erly  utilized 
facilities  lor  hos])ital  instruction,  Init  he  set  fortii  the  urgent  medical 
needs  of  the  newer  jxirtion  of  a  rapidly  growing  country,  and  indicated 
how  these  neetls  were  best  met  by  the  local  medical  schools.  He  argued 
tiiat  the  young  man  of  the  frontier  could  not  afTord  to  study  in  the 
old  schcR)ls  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  Beck  sjieaks  well  of  the  clinical 
instruction  which  the  students  received  from  their  ])recei)tors.  Many  of 
these  jireceptors  were  skilful  jiractitioners  antl  took  every  o])])ortunity  to 
give  their  students  clinical  instructions  in  a  wide  range  of  diseases.  In 
1855,  the  advantages  of  instruction  by  preceptors  is  set  forth  in  the 
announcement  of  the  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  of  the  l'ni\ersitv 
of  Michigan  as  follows: 

.As  iiotrd  in  the  previous  amiouncemeiits,  clinical  instruction,  it  i>  lielievrd. 
is  far  better  imparted  in  the  walks  of  private  practice,  especially  in  that 
section  of  the  country  where  the  student  intends  to  locate  himself,  than  can 
he  done  even  in  the  best  regulated  hospital.  The  hasty  walk  throui^h  the 
wards  of  a  hospital  furnishes  at  best  but  a  sorry  suljstitute  for  the  close  and 
accurate  study  of  cases  as  they  ocirur  in  the  professional  rounds  of  the  private 
practitioner. 

This  statement  was  made  by  such  men  as  Zona  Pitcher,  Moses  (iuim, 
.\lonzo  Palmer,  C.  L.  Ford  and  Edmund  Andrews.  The  men  on  the 
faculties  of  these  pioneer  schools  realized  the  value  of  clinical  instruction 
in  dispensaries  anil  hospitals.  They  all  early  foun<led  ambulatory  clinics. 
In  1S47,  the  faculty  of  Rush  Medical  College  secured  the  establishment 
of  the  Chicago  Hospital,  in  which  during  the  first  year  80  patients  vs-ere 
tinder  treatment  at  one  time.  The  cases  were  utilized  for  clinical 
teaching. 

The  faculties  of  (tther  schools  of  this  group  seem  to  have  made 
efforts  to  originate  medical  journals,  but  that  of  Rush  was  the  only  one 
which  succeeded  during  the  period  under  consideration.  During  the 
first  year  after  the  organization  of  the  school,  jas.  \'.  Z.  Hlaney,  began 
to  publish  the  Illinois  Medical  and  .Surgical  Journal.  This  was  the 
|)ioneer,  and  for  many  years  the  only  journal  of  this  region.  It  com- 
pared very  well  with  similar  publications  in  this  country.  It  contained 
original  contributions  by   the  ablest   men  of  this  part  of   the  couiitrv. 

"  On  the  IJiility  of  Coiirir.v   Mcilical   Itmiiuiion?.   .Mlianv.   18.'5. 


42 

Diseases  peculiar  to  the  region  were  described.  There  were  also  reviews 
of  new  books,  critical  abstracts  of  recent  medical  publications  in  this 
country  and  Europe,  news  items  and  reports  of  the  meetings  of  the 
medical  societies  as  they  became  organized  in  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin.     Aside  from  being  an  organ  of  the  school  and  faculty,  it 


ILLINOIS 


MEDICAL  AND  SURGICAL 


JOURNAL. 


JAMES  V.  Z.  DIANEV,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 


CHICAGO,  ILL.; 
ruBLisriFD  nv  ellis  &  Fergus. 


1S44. 

Fig.    19.— Title   page   of   Illinois   Medical   and    Surgical   Journal,    first   volume,    1844. 

performed  a  valuable  service  to  the  profession  of  an  extensive  territory. 
The  files  of  this  journal  are  of  great  historic  interest  as  they  contain 
much  of  the  availalile  materials  bearing  on  the  early  medical  history  of 
this  region."     (  See  Fig.  19,  p.  42. ) 

"  This  journal  had  a  continuous  existence  of  forty-five  years,  comprising  58  volumes. 
The  name  was  changed  several  times;  Illinois  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  (1844-1846),  Illinois 
and  Indiana  Medical  lournal  (1846-1848):  Northwestern  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  (1848- 
57);    Chicago   Medicarjounial    and    Examiner    (1875-1889). 


43 

If  wc  ci>in])are  tlicsc  sclumls  with  tlmse  nl  tlic  i>rcscnt.  tliev  apiicar  at 
a  disadvaiitafje,  hut  not  more  so  tlian  would  he  tlic  case  if  we  couiiKire 
local  institutions  of  all  sorts  of  7^  years  aj,'o  with  those  of  today.  In 
their  day.  there  were  no  railroads,  telegraphs,  or  telephones,  only  prinu- 
live  roads  and  bridle  |)aths  leatling  into  the  surroundinj^  coinitry.-''' 
There  were  no  modern  farmiii};  machinery  and  no  accumulated  capital, 
and  the  common  comforts  of  life  were  in  the  distant  future. 

However,  in  comi>arison  with  institutions  of  medical  education  in 
the  older  iKirts  of  the  country,  these  did  not  appear  at  such  a  dis- 
advanta.tje.  In  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Preliminary  ICducation 
presented  at  the  National  Medical  Convention  at  I'hiladel])hia  in  1S47,-''' 
it  is  stated  that  "there  are  no  uniform  standards  of  ])re])aratory  educa- 
tion e.xacted  of  medical  students  throujjhout  the  United  States.  The 
whole  subject  is  left  to  private  precejitors,  many  of  whom  recommend 
and  a  few  exact  an  elevated  standard,  while  others  leave  it  to  the 
discretion  of  the  students  themselves  or  their  parents."  The  Committee 
on  L'niform  and  Elevated  Standards  of  Requirements  for  the  Degree 
of  M.D.'*"  reported  at  Philadelphia  that  information  had  been  secured 
from  19  colleges.  They  had  from  5  to  8  professors,  and  the  time 
employed  in  lectures  annually  was  from  13  to  18  weeks — 16  in  a  large 
majority.  The  general  requirements  for  graduation  were  uniformly 
21  years  of  age,  gcxwl  moral  character,  satisfactory  examinations, 
)>assable  thesis,  attendance  on  two  courses  of  lectures  within  a  jieriod 
of  3  years'  study.  In  .some,  4  years  of  practice  might  be  substituted 
for  one  of  the  courses  of  lectures.  Clinical  instruction  was  required  in 
12  and  not  in  7.  Dissection  was  obligatory  in  5  and  recommended  in 
14.    In  1851.  N.  S.  Davis  wrote: 

Of  36  or  37  medical  colleges  in  active  operation  in  the  country,  only  si.xtcen 
were  so  located  as  to  afford  those  in  attendance  any  opportunity  for  witnessing 
hospital  or  bedside  instructions,  five  continued  (heir  regular  courses  of  lectures 
less  than  sixteen  weeks,  twenty-six  for  sixteen  to  eighteen  weeks,  two  have 
extended  their  courses  to  little  more  than  five  months." 

As  elsewhere  in  the  country,  a  S|jecial  ])reliminary  education  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  demanded  of  students.     Self  education  played  a 

"  Thf  fir^l  tclrKram  was  received  in  Chicago  on  Jan.  15.1H4S.  fr.ini  Milwaukee,  ami  it 
reaHr  ".MiUaiitce  with  her  14.000  sends  in  ChicaRo  wilh  her  17,000  greetings."  The  oixrator 
al  the  receipt  of  this  first  message  was  .\ml.ro«e  Jones,  a  senior  student  in  Rush  Meilical  College 
I  Bull,  .\lufnni  .Assn.  Rush  Medical  College,  .\i.ril  1911.  p.  10).  The  lirst  through  telegram  from 
the  east  was  receive.1  in  Chicago.  April  6,  1848.  The  lirst  eastern  trunk  line  of  radrrad  was 
c.jnplete  to  Chicago  Feb.  20,    1852. 

"•  I'rnceeding  of  the  Xat.  Med.  Convention  held  in  New  York,  May,  1846,  and  in  Phila- 
delphia. .May,   1847,  p.   79. 

••  Ibid.,  p.  63. 

«   Hist,  of  Med.   Education   .ind   Institutions  in  the  U.  S  ,  Chicago.   1851.  p.   166. 


44 

large  part  in  tlie  preparation  of  the  ambitious  applicant  for  medical 
honors.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  young  men  to  teach  school  to  secure 
funds  to  defray  the  expense  of  study  in  medical  schools.  In  1846, 
Nichols  Hard  remarked : 

It  is  a  curious  and  interesting  fact  that  more  than  one  half  of  those  who 
enter  the  profession  come  from  tlie  respectable  calling  of  the  school  master. 
This  is  made  the  stepping  stone  to  the  Doctorate.  The  dextrous  use  of  the 
pen  knife,  precedes  that  of  the  scalpel,  and  the  statement  of  a  problem  in 
the  Rule  of  Three,  the  statement  of  a  case  in  consultation. 

In  the  pioneer  schools,  as  in  all  later  ones,  it  was  true  that  the  teach- 
ing value  of  the  institution  depended  in  largest  measures  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  men  comprising  the  faculties.  As  expressed  by  Osler,''- 
"The  great  possession  of  any  University  is  its  great  names.  It  is  not 
the  'pride,  pomp,  and  circumstance'  of  an  institution  which  bring  honor, 
nor  its  wealth,  nor  its  halls,  but  the  men  who  have  trodden  in  its  service 
the  thorny  road  through  toil,  even  through  hate,  to  the  abode  of  Fame, 
climbing  'like  stars  to  their  appointed  height' !" 

The  leaders  and  most  of  their  associates  were  relatively  young  men 
who  had  the  enthusiasm  and  hopefulness  of  youth.  They  usually 
possessed  as  good  an  education  as  was  afforded  at  the  time  in  America, 
and  some  had  the  advantage  of  European  stud}'.  Most  of  them  came 
up  from  humble  circumstances,  were  self  made  men,  and  anxious  to 
take  advantage  of  every  opportunity.  Everything  indicates  that  most 
of  the  men  on  the  faculties  of  these  schools  were  good  teachers.  Soine 
became  skilful  investigators  and  successful  authors.  They  were  leaders 
in  all  matters  of  public  interest.  A  few  of  the  men  who  were  on  the 
faculty  of  these  early  schools  served  in  the  Mexican  War.  Many  of  their 
pupils  as  graduates  of  these  schools  in  these  early  years  served  as 
surgeons  in  the  Civil  War.  They  founded  hospitals,  aided  in  establishing 
schools  of  all  sorts,  from  common  schools  to  universities.  On  the 
faculties  of  those  schools  were  found  the  men  who  are  to  be  largely 
credited  with  securing  the  establishment  of  the  first  public  hospitals  for 
the  insane  in  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Many  were  prominent  in  the 
organization  and  activities  of  local  and  state  medical  societies,  and 
several  were  participants  in  the  early  struggle  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  one  being  later  designated  the  "father"  of  that  organization. 
The  birth  places  of  these  men  were  widely  scattered.  They  came  from 
various  parts  of  the  United  States,  from  England  and  Germany.     Their 

*-  Acquaiiimit.is,  with  other  .Addresses  to  Medical  Students,  etc.,  Ed.   2.  Phil.idelphia.   1906. 


45 

final  resting  places  are  I'oiuul  in  unr  i>\vn  ccitntry,  Iruni  New  England  to 
California,  and  also  in  Mexico,  Cierniany  and  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  on  the  rocky  shores  of  the  Azores. 

Where  yonder  marble  city  tops  the  plain. 
And  shining  temples  in  the  sunset  glow, 
Where    wealth    and    beauty    hold    perpetual    reign. 
And  busy  hands  the  seeds  of  progress   sow, — 
In  that  same  spot,  a  few  short  years  ago, 
The  cabin  of  the  swarthy  pioneer. 
In  cheerless    solitude,   surpassing   show, 
Nurtured  beneath  its  roof  the  hearts  that  were 
To   build    the    Empire   of   the   western    hemisphere. 
The  Lute  of  Life — 
The  Pioneers — 
Jas.   Newton  Matthews,  M.D. 


Sketches  of  the  Lives  of  Faculty  Members, 

and  of  Some  Others  Mentioned 

in  the  Text 


SAMUEL     ADAMS 
1806-1877 

Samuel  Adams  was  bom  at  Gilead,  Maine,  Dec.  19,  1806.  He  was  educated 
at  Bowdoin  College,  where  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in 
1836  and  of  Master  of  Arts  in  1837.  In  his  alma  mater,  he  served  as  tutor 
in  modern  languages  in  1835-37,  and  librarian  from  1835-36.  In  1838,  he  assumed 
the  chair  of  Natural  Philosophy,  Chemistry  and  Natural  History  at  Illinois 
College,  Jacksonville,  III. 

In  the  iriedical  department  of  the  school,  he  was  professor  of  chemistry  and 
materia  medica  and  therapeutics  from  1843  to  1845.  During  his  connection 
with  the  college,  he  gave  instruction  in  nearly  every  branch  embraced  in  the 
college  curriculum,  including  the  French  and  German  languages.  He  was  a 
profound  scholar,  which  was  illustrated  in  occasional  contributions  to  scientific 
and  literary  periodicals.  These  dealt  particularly  with  discussions  as  to  the 
relation  of  religion  and  science. 

His  connection  with  the  college  continued  until  his  death,  .^pril,  1877,  after 
38  years  of  service.     (Portrait  p.  69.) 

JONATHAN     ADAMS     ALLEN 
1825-1890 

The  father  of  J.  Adams  Allen,  whose  name  was  given  the  son,  was  long  a 
prominent  and  influencial  physician  in  Vermont.  He  taught  materia  medica 
in  the  Vermont  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  Chemistry  at  Middlebury  College. 
J.  Adams  Allen  was  born  in  Middlebury,  Vt.,  Jan.  16,  1825.  He  received  a 
general  education  in  Middlebury  College,  and  in  1846  he  was  given  his  medical 
degree  by  Castleton  Medical  College.  He  soon  located  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich., 
and  while  there,  in  1848,  was  made  professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics 
in  the  Indiana  Medical  College.  Here  he  served  only  one  year,  when  the  school 
disbanded.  When  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at 
Ann  Arbor  was  organized  in  1850,  he  occupied  the  chair  of  physiology  and 
pathology,  and  he  continued  in  this  position  until  1855. 

From  1859  to  1890,  when  he  died,  J.  Adams  Allen  was  professor  of  medicine 
in  Rush  Medical  College,  the  last  13  years  acting  as  president  of  the  faculty. 
From  1861  to  1863,  Allen  was  associated  with  Brainard  as  editor  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  Journal,  and  from  1866  to  1875  he  was  proprietor  and  editor  of  this 
publication.  He  published  "Essays  on  the  Mechanism  of  Nervous  Action"  and 
"Medical  Examination  for  Life  Insurance  Companies,''  The  latter  passed 
through  many  editions  and  was  translated  into  German. 

He  was  a  popular  teacher  and  an  accomplished  writer  and  speaker.  (Por- 
trait p.  53.) 


47 

JACOB     riATT     AXDKIAV 

18ti3-18S<i 

Jacob  Piatt  Aiiilrcw  was  born  on  Dec.  14.  1>W.?,  a  lew  miles  njrtli  of  Cin- 
cinnati, being  descended,  on  botli  sides,  from  families  that  took  part  in  the 
Revolution.  When  a  very  young  man,  he  became  desirous  of  being  a  preacher. 
Having  but  limited  educational  opportunities,  he  associated  himself  with  a  noted 
preacher  of  the  day  with  whom  he  traveled  on  the  circuit  and  studied  Latin 
and  Hebrew  together  with  other  subjects.  Then  for  3  or  4  years,  he  became 
a  traveling  preacher  in  the  mountains  of  Kentucky.  Tennessee  and  \'irginia. 
He  traveled  about  on  a  horse,  sharing  the  l)eds  and  tables  of  the  settlers. 
Under  this  life  his  health  broke  down,  and  he  was  forced  to  return  to  Ohio. 
When  he  had  recovered  he  determined  to  study  medicine,  and  graduated  from 
Ohio  Medical  College  in  Cincinnati  in  18,)2.  After  practicing  in  Cincinnati  for 
five  years,  he  removed  to  LaPorte.  Ind..  in  1837.  where  he  was  active  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  for  20  years.  In  1857.  he  removed  to  Fort  Calhoun, 
\'eb..  where  he  practiced  medicine  for  23  years.  He  died  in  Blair.  Neb.,  in 
July.  1886.     (Portrait  p.  53.) 

SAMUEL     GLASGOW     .\K.\I()R 

1819-1885 

Samuel  Glasgow  Armor  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  Jan.  29.  1819. 
He  early  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents.  He  attended  Franklin  College,  New 
.Athens,  Ohio,  and  in  1844  received  his  medical  degree  from  Missouri  Medical 
College,  St.  Louis.  He  located  at  Kockford.  III.,  and  in  1846  was  the  first 
secretary  of  the  Rock  River  Medical  Society,  which  was  the  first  large  medical 
society  in  Illinois.  The  meeting  of  the  society  in  May.  184().  was  attended  by 
Daniel  Brainard.  who  was  a  member.  This  was  the  occasion  which  brought 
.■\rmor  to  the  attention  of  the  Rush  f.-iculty.  and  resulted  in  an  invitation  to 
him  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  on  physiology.  He  did  this  during  1846-1847. 
.\n  earlier  engagement  with  the  school  at  Rock  Island  prevented  .\rmor's 
acceptance  of  an  offer  of  a  chair  in  Oiicago.  He  taught  medicine  in  Rock 
Island,  Davenport.  Keokuk,  Cincinnati.  St.  Louis.  Ann  Arbor  and  finally  in 
Brooklyn.  In  1866.  he  became  professor  of  materia  medica,  therapeutics  and 
general  pathology  in  Long  Island  Medical  College,  and  two  years  later  succeeded 
.Austin  Flint  in  the  chair  of  practice  of  medicine,  which  position  he  filled  until 
his  death  Oct.  27,  1885. 

Samuel   G.   .■\rmor  has   left   a   reputation   of   having   been   one   of   the   ablest 
teachers  of  medicine  of  his  time.     (Portrait  p.  '^i.) 
References: 

In  memory  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Armor,  Cleveland,   1886. 

Kelly  and   Burrage;   American   Medical   Biagraphies.  Ballimore.   1920,  p.  37. 

Juetiner.  Otio;  Daniel  Drake  and  His  Followers,  Cincinnati,  1909,  p.  220. 

GEORGE     S.     BARROWS 

1815-1<;07 

George  S.  Barrows  was  l»rn  at  Watertown.  X.  Y..  on  Jan.  17.  1815.  He 
li«gan  his  medical  studies  in  Rush  Medical  College,  and  graduated  from  the 
Rock  Island  Medical  School  in  1845.  He  practiced  for  a  tiine  at  Rockford. 
III.,  then  at  Marion.  Kan.,  where  he  died  on  N'ov.  1.  1907.  In  18<i8.  he  joined 
the  .American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  and  in  1877  received  a  diploma  from 
the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Chicago.  He  was  a  successful  practitioner 
for  more  than  fifty  years. 


48 

JAMES     VAN     ZANDT     BLANEY 
1820-1874 

Of  the  original  faculty  of  Rush  Medical  College,  the  first  member  selected 
bj'  Brainard  was  James  V'an  Zandt  Blaney.  He  was  born  at  New  Castle,  Del., 
May  1,  1820.  In  1838  he  graduated  from  Princeton  College  at  the  age  of  18. 
He  remained  some  time  afterward  studying  chemistry  under  the  distinguished 
Prof.  Joseph  Henry.  In  1842  he  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

After  spending  the  winter  of  1842-1843  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  St.  Louis,  he 
came  to  Chicago  to  assume  the  duties  of  professor  of  chemistry  and  materia 
medica  in  the  newly  organized  Rush  Medical  College  in  the  autumn  of  1843. 
He  soon  became  one  of  the  most  popular  teachers  on  the  faculty  and  also 
enjoyed  the  most  lucrative  practice  of  any  physician  in  the  city  because  of  his 
professional  attainments  and  rare  social  qualities. 

In  1844  he  began  the  publication  of  the  first  medical  journal  in  the  North- 
west under  the  name  of  the  Illinois  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal.  In  1846  he 
conducted  explorations  on  the  south  shore  of   Lake   Superior. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society  and  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society,  serving  as  president  of  the  latter  in   1870. 

Through  his  skill  as  an  analytic  chemist,  he  acquired  international  reputa- 
tion. In  1857  he  occupied  the  chair  of  chemistry  and  natural  philosophy  in  the 
Northwestern  University  at  Evanston. 

In  1861  Blaney  was  appointed  surgeon  of  volunteers  with  the  rank  of 
major.  He  was  medical  director  of  hospitals  until  the  end  of  the  war  and 
was  mustered  out  with  the  title  of  lieutenant  colonel. 

On  the  death  of  Brainard,  in  1866,  he  become  president  of  the  faculty  of 
Rush  Medical  College. 

He  was  active  in  all  public  matters ;  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  an  original  member  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Sciences,  a  member  of  the  original  faculty  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy, 
a  member  of  the  committee  which  drafted  the  bill  recreating  a  city  board  of 
health,  which  was  passed  by  the  state  legislature  in  1867. 

He  laid  the  cornerstone  of  the  University  of  Chicago  in  1857. 

His  versatility  was  "literally  unbounded  and  his  oratorical  power  phen- 
omenal."    (Portrait  p.  77.) 

DANIEL     BRAINARD 

1812-1866 

As  one  casts  a  retrospective  glance  over  the  group  of  early  medical  teachers 
in  Chicago  and  the  adjacent  country,  the  figure  of  Daniel  Brainard  stands 
out  as  the  largest  of  all. 

He  was  born  May  IS,  1812,  at  Western,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.  After 
receiving  a  common  school  and  academic  education,  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  in  1829.  Throughout  his  medical  studies  he  was  attracted  by  teachers 
of  surgery,  and  a  love  for  this  department  of  medicine  seems  to  have  been 
developed  early.  He  attended  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  of  New  York  at  Fairfield,  where 
his  preceptor  was  the  able  surgeon  and  brilliant  teacher,  John  Delamater.  Two 
courses  of  lectures  were  then  taken  in  JefTerson  Medical  College.  Philadelphia, 
where  he  graduated  in  1834.  It  is  likely  that  the  presence  at  Jefferson  of 
George  McClellan  determined  his  choice  of  a  school.  It  is  easy  to  imagine 
that  one  sees  the  influence  of  this  brilliant,  fearless  operator  and  founder  of 
medical  schools  in  the  subsequent  activities  of  Daniel  Brainard. 


49 


I*^<.^6a~  ^^-C      A-E-<V-/^  -^BSOfc**  <-*»^  C>fc-^^ 


U-^L. 


1 


Fig.  ^0.~ Instrument  conveying  two  acres  <  f  corn  standing  in  Atinira  it>  N.  Hard,  in  pavnu-nt 
of  medical  bill  of  $12. 


50 

After  spending  two  years  at  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  teaching  anatomy  and 
physiology,  practicing  a  little,  but  especially  studying  Latin  and  French,  he 
came  to  Chicago  in  1836.  His  forceful  personality  quickly  placed  him  among 
the  most  influential  persons  in  the  rapidly  growing  western  city.  His  enthusiasm 
soon  brought  him  private  students.  In  1837  he  secured  a  charter  from  the 
Illinois  legislature  for  Rush  Medical  College,  but  financial  conditions  soon 
became  so  disturbed  that  he  deferred  organization  of  the  school.  While  await- 
ing favorable  conditions  for  the  launching  of  his  school  in  Chicago,  he  went 
to  Paris  in  1839  to  further  prepare  himself  for  his  future  work.  Here  he 
remained  until  1841.  .\  fellow  student  of  surgery  in  Paris  was  Cliarles  A. 
Pope,  who  later  became  the  prominent  teacher  and  practitioner  of  surgery  in 
St.  Louis.  Rush  Medical  College  was  organized  by  him  in  1843,  and  he  was 
the  dominating  figure  and  professor  of  surgery  in  the  institution  until  his  death. 
He  served  as  vice  president  of  the  .'American  Medical  Association  in  1850  and 
in  the  same  year  aided  in  organizing  the  Cliicago  Medical  Society  and  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society.  A  second  visit  was  made  to  Europe  in  1852. 
While  there,  he  read  papers  before  the  .-Xcademy  of  Science  and  Society  of 
Surgery  of  Paris.  Two  years  later  he  was  awarded  a  prize  by  the  American 
Medical  Association  for  his  classical  essay  on  a  "New  Method  of  Treating 
Ununited  Fractures  and  Certain  Deformities  of  the  Osseous  System." 

He  acted  with  several  of  his  colleagues  as  editor  of  the  North-Westcrn 
Medical  and  Surgical  Journal.  This  journal  contains  many  reports  of  his  sur- 
gical clinics  and  numerous  able  editorials  on  the  burning  medical  questions 
of  the  day. 

Brainard  stands  as  an  example  of  an  enthusiastic  and  skilful  teacher,  a 
gifted  public  speaker,  an  able  organizer,  and  accurate  original  investigator. 
His  reputation  was  worldwide  and  his  loyal  students  were  widely  scattered  over 
the  western  country.  Juettner  speaks  of  Daniel  Brainard  of  Chicago,  C.  A. 
Pope  of  St.  Louis  and  G.  C.  Blackman  of  Cincinnati  as  "the  great  western 
surgical  triumvirate"  of  the  middle  third  of  the  last  century.  Brainard  died 
from  cholera  in  1866. 

He  married  Evelyn  Sleigh  in  1845.  They  had  four  children  ;  two  of  them 
died  in  infancy  from  scarlet  fever;  a  son  and  daughter,  wlio  readied  maturity, 
died  without  children.     (Portrait  p.  77.) 

References: 

Hyde,    Tames    Nevins.:    Early    Medical   Chicago,    1879. 

Ingals, 'E.  Fletcher:  Life  and  Work  of  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard,  Bull.  Alumni  Assn.  Rusli 
Medical  College,  July,   1912. 

Weaver,  George  H.:  The  First  Period  in  the  History  of  Rush  Medical  College,  Bull. 
Alumni  Assn.   Rush   Medical   College.   July,    1912. 

Field,  David  D.:  The  Genealogy  of  the  Brainard  Familv  in  the  United  States.  New 
York,    18.S7. 

DAVID     E.     BROWN 
1795-1871 

Little  has  been  learned  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  In  the  "Medical  His- 
tory of  Indiana,"  by  Kemper,  the  first  name  is  given  as  Daniel.  In  the  History 
of  Kalamazoo  County,  Mich.,  it  is  given  as  David.  The  latter  is  the  source 
of  all  our  information.  David  E.  Brown  was  born  in  London  County,  Va.. 
Tune  20,  1795.  He  is  said  to  have  studied  in  the  medical  departinent  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  but  we  have  been  unable  to  determine  whether  he 
ever  received  a  degree.     He  came  to  Schoolcraft,  Mich.,  in   1830. 

In  1844-1845,  he  was  professor  of  medicine  in  the  Medical  Department  of 
La  Porte  University.  He  is  said  to  have  been  remarkably  well  educated  in 
medicine  for  tlie  time,  and  to  have  possesed   strong,  sterling  personal   qualities. 


51 

CllANDI.Hk     BL'RWKl.I.     c  1  lAl'MAX 
1815-187/ 

One  of  the  most  prominent  mvdical  men  in  early  Wisconsin,  Cliandlcr  B. 
Chapinan,  was  iMjrn  in  Middlehury,  \'t..  July  7,  1815.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  his  native  state,  and  graduated  from  tlie  \crmont  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine at  Castleton  in  the  autumn  term  of  1836. 

In  1837.  he  married  Mary  Eugenia  Pease,  and  located  in  Truml)ull  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  practiced  medicine  for  several  years.  In  1846,  he  moved  to 
Madison.  Wis.,  making  the  journey  in  one  week  by  private  conveyance,  steam- 
boat and  stage.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Rock  island  Medical 
School  in  1848,  being  professor  of  anatomy.  Tlie  following  year  he  occupied 
the  same  chair  at  Davenport.  In  a  letter  to  M.  L.  Knapp,  written  from  Daven- 
port, dated  March  19,  1850,  he  signs  himself  as  President  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
Medical  Department  of  Iowa  University.  He  does  not  appear  to  have  followed 
the  school  in  its  further  migration  to  Keokuk. 

When  the  Medical  Society  of  the  Territory  of  Wisconsin  met  at  Madison 
in  1847.  C  B.  Chapman  was  elected  a  permanent  member  and  chosen  record- 
ing secretary.  Besides  teaching  in  the  medical  school  at  Rock  Island  and 
Davenport,  Giapman  taught  private  students  at  Madison.  Favill  quotes 
Dr.  B.  F.  Dodson  as  follows :  "I  went  into  Dr.  C.  B.  Chapman's  family  Dec. 
17.  1851.  and  remained  until  Xovembcr.  1853.  Several  others  were  also  residents 
there,  but  were  in  active  practice.  .At  the  time  Dr.  Chapman  was  giving  a 
good  deal  of  time  to  instructing  students,  having  a  couple  of  rooms  for  the 
purpose  on  the  corner  of  State  Street,  in  which  the  students  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  do  some  dissecting,  some  friendly  physician  outside  furnishing  the 
dissecting  material.  During  the  summer  months  his  aim  was  to  hold  weekly 
recitations  in  anatomy  and  physiology." 

During  the  summer  of  1852  Chapman  went  to  Europe  to  study  in  the  hos- 
pitals of  Great  Britain  and  the  continent.  In  the  collection  of  the  State  Historial 
Society  of  Wisconsin  at  Madison  is  an  interesting  circular  and  catalog  of 
Dr.  C.  B.  Chapman's  Practical  School  for  Anatomy  and  Surgery  for  1852. 
The  "advertisement"  reads  as  follows :  "Dr.  Chapman  will  receive  pupils  for 
instruction  throughout  the  year  in  the  various  branches  of  medicine  and  Surgery. 

"There  will  be  a  lecture  term  of  about  eight  weeks  in  the  winter,  commenc- 
ing the  first  week  in  December,  in  which  will  be  given  a  course  of  lectures  on 
practical  anatomy  and  operative  surgery.  Throughout  the  remainder  of  the  year 
recitation  and  clinical  instruction,  with  the  best  facilities  we  can  command,  will 
be  given. 

".■\mple  facilities  will  be  aflforded  for  the  study  of  anatomy  during  the 
winter  term.  .-Kn  opportunity  will  be  afforded,  and  provision  made,  for  private 
dissection,  providing  application  be  made  early — a  privilege  as  rare  as  valuable, 
but  without  which  no  one  can  obtain  an  adequate  acquaintance  with  anatomy 
and  surgery. 

"Everything  will  be  supplied  that  circumstances  admit,  calculated  to  facilitate 
the  progress  of  the  student.  Free  access  may  be  had  to  a  respectable  ana- 
tomical collection,  library."  etc. 

The  "Terms  of  Tuition"  are  thus  given: 

"Ffirty  dollars  a  year  including  the  winter  course. 

"Tickets  for  the  winter  course,  only  on  anatomy  and  surgery,  $8.  .■\fter 
two  year's  tuition  has  been  paid,  no  more  will  be  demanded,  except  for  inci- 
dental  expenses. 


UBI 


52 

"To  make  the  advantages  of  this  arrangement  still  greater  during  the 
winter  course  of  lectures,  the  class  may  be  arranged  into  classes  of  five,  and 
to  every  such  class  material  will  be  furnished  for  private  dissection,  with 
an  additional  fee  of  only  $5  from  each  student. 

"In  order  to  be  sure  of  provision  for  this  arrangement,  early  application 
must  be  made  and  this  fee  arranged  so  as  to  give  time  to  provide  material 
before  the  close  of  navigation,  as  a  more  limited  supply  will  otherwise  be 
provided. 

"Dr.  C.  purchased  at  considerable  expense,  while  in  Paris,  during  the  last 
summer,  Cruveilhier's  Pathological  Anatomy,  including  the  colored  plates.  This 
will  prove  a  valuable  aid  to  students  in  preparing  them  to  distinguish  post 
mortem  appearances — even  better  than  a  residence  of  months  in  the  largest 
hospitals  of  our  country." 

For  1851-1852  he  lists  twenty-one  students,  of  whom  five  had  the  degree 
of  M.D. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Chapman  accompanied  the  Sixth  Wis- 
consin Regiment  as  surgeon  and  later  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  famous 
Iron  Brigade.  During  the  later  years  of  the  war  he  served  as  medical  director 
of  the  army  of  the  Rio  Grande — his  entire  service  covering  the  period  between 
June,  1861,' to  August,  1864. 

In  1865,  when  Miami  Medical  College  was  revived.  Chapman  became  pro- 
fessor of  chemistry  and  served  until  1868.  He  had  been  professor  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  In  1853-1854  he  was  professor  of 
anatomy.  According  to  Juettner,  he  was  also  professor  of  physiology  in  this 
school,  but  the  exact  dates  have  not  been  learned.  About  1868  he  abandoned 
his  teaching  in  Cincinnati  and  spent  much  of  the  latter  years  of  his  life  in 
Kansas.  He  died  at  Madison,  Wis.,  May  18,  1877,  leaving  a  son  and  daughter, 
both  of  whom  died  later. 

He  was  an  able  chemist  and  surgeon,  a  good  teacher,  courteous  in  manner, 
kind  and  affable  to  his  friends,  associates  and  patients.  Juettner  speaks  of  him 
as  "a  man  of  means,  who  loved  science."     (Portrait  p.  83.) 

References: 

Kellv  and   Burrage:   American    Medical   Biographies,    1920,   p.   207. 

Juettner,  Otto:  Daniel  Drake  and   His  Followers,   1909,  pp.   31S,  333.  and   3-10. 

Favill,  Henrv  B. ;  Early  Medical  Davs  in  Wisconsin.  Bull.  Soc.  Med.  Hist,  of  Chicago. 
1919,   2.   p.   97. 

Trans.  Wis.  State  Med.  Soc,  1869,  p.  8. 

History  of  Dane  County,  Wisconsin.    1906,  p.    160. 

Catalogue  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  1853-54.  (In  Medical  Library, 
Cincinnati   (jeneral   Hospital.) 

WILLIS     DAXFORTH 

1826-1891 

\\'illis  Danforth,  born  at  Lake  ^■illage.  X.  H.,  Sept.  26.  1826.  was  descended 
from  Puritan  stock.  He  studied  medicine  in  the  Indiana  Medical  College  1847- 
1848  and  in  the  Rock  Island  Medical  College  in  1848-1849,  receiving  his  degree 
from  the  latter  school  in  1849.  After  practicing  medicine  at  Oswego,  111.,  for 
a  year,  he  moved  to  Joliet.  where  he  remained  for  sixteen  years.  Immediately 
after  locating  at  Oswego  he  appears  to  have  become  an  active  preceptor  for 
iTiedical  students.  During  the  civil  war  he  served  as  surgeon  of  the  One- 
hundred  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry  and  as  medical  director  of  the  district 
of  Western  Kentucky  until  the  close  of  the  war.     In  1869  he  liecame  professor 


53 


Mrrkct.    (.-P    .loiili    II     .\ 

(6)  Thumpkin  Higday. 


54 

of  surgery  in  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Chicago.     In  1879  he  moved 
to  Milwaukee.  Wis.,  where  he  died  June  5.  1891. 


Frank.  Louis  Frederick:  The  Medical  History  of  Milwaukee,  Milwaukee.  1915.  p.  60. 
Cleave:     Biographical    Cyclopaedia   of    Honueopathic     Physicians    and     Surgeons,     Philadel- 
phia,  lS/3,  p.  245. 

XATHAX     SMITH     DAVIS 
1817-1904 

One  of  the  most  fortunate  events  for  subsequent  medical  education  in  Chicago 
occurred  when  the  faculty  of  Rush  Medical  College  prevailed  on  the  brilliant 
young  medical  reformer.  Xathan  S.  Davis,  to  leave  Xew  York,  where  he  had 
already  secured  a  footing,  and  come  to  the  young  western  city  in  which  no 
hospital  existed  and  where  everything  lay  in  the  future. 

Xathan  Smith  Davis  was  born  in  Greene,  Chinango  County.  X.  Y.,  Jan.  9, 
1817,  in  the  log  house  of  his  pioneer  father.  Here  he  spent  the  first  sixteen 
years  of  his  life  on  the  farm.  He  attended  a  single  term  in  Cazenovia  Semi- 
nary, and  in  1834  began  to  study  medicine.  In  1837.  he  graduated  from  the 
College  of  Physicians  of  the  Western  District  of  Xew  York  at  Fairfield  at  the 
end  of  three  courses  of  lectures. 

After  practicing  a  year  at  Vienna.  X'ew  York,  he  moved  to  Binghamton, 
where  he  remained  nine  years.  He  soon  became  secretary  of  the  County  Medical 
Society,  and  from  1843  to  1846  represented  the  County  Medical  Society  in  the 
Xew  York  State  Society.  Here  he  was  an  active  advocate  of  improvement  in 
medical  education,  and  the  agitation  in  which  he  prominently  participated  led 
to  the  organization  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  In  1847,  he  removed 
to  X'ew  York  City,  taking  charge  of  the  dissecting  room  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  lecturing  on  medical  jurisprudence  in  the  spring 
course,  and  assuming  editorial  charge  of  the  Annalist,  a  semi-monthly  medical 
journal. 

He  came  to  Chicago  in  1849,  to  occupy  the  chair  of  physiology  and  general 
pathology  in  Rush  Medical  College.  The  next  year  he  was  promoted  to  the 
chair  of  principle  and  practice  of  medicine  and  of  clinical  medicine.  This  he 
occupied  for  ten  years.  He  was  largely  responsible  for  the  organization  of 
the  Illinois  General  Hospital  of  the  Lakes,  which  later  became  Mercy  Hospital. 

In  1859  he  led  in  the  organization  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Lind 
University,  with  the  purpose  of  introducing  graded  medical  instruction.  This 
he  did  for  the  first  time  in  any  American  medical  school.  He  was  editor  of 
the  Chicago  Medical  Journal  from  1854  to  1859.  When  the  new  school  was 
established,  he  founded  the  Chicago  Medical  Examiner  as  its  organ,  and  he 
acted  as  its  editor  until  1873.  For  six  years  he  acted  as  editor  of  The  Journal 
of  the  American  Medical  Association    (1883-1889). 

Davis  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Illinois  State  and  Chicago  Medical 
Societies,  serving  as  president  of  both. 

He  was  intensely  interested  in  temperance,  on  which  he  wrote  and  lectured. 
He  was  an  active  supporter  of  the  Washingtonian  Home,  a  hospital  for 
inebriates. 

Dr.  Davis  published  numerous  papers  in  current  medical  journals,  and  also 
several  books.  His  "History  of  Medical  Education  and  Institutions  in  the 
United  States"  was  published  in  1851.  and  is  usually  considered  the  first  medical 
book  published  in  Chicago.  .\  history  of  the  American  Medical  Association 
was   published   in   Philadelphia   in    1855.     These  books   are   especially  valuable 


55 

because  they  cimtaiii  aiitlmritativi-  discussions  of  the  coiulitions  leading  up  to 
the  orKanizatioii  of  ihc  Ainorican  Medical  Association,  and  tlie  actual  liappen- 
ings  when  it  was  inanKnrate<l. 

X.  S.   Davis  has  l)een  called  the  "Father  of  the  American   Medical   Associa- 
tion."    His   inlluence   was  dominant   at   the   hirth   and   dnrinf^   the  early   Kfowth 
of  this   orKani/.ation.     To  him.   more   than   to  any   one,   we  owe   the   reform   in 
.■\merican  medical  education.     (Portrait  p.  i<\.) 
Rkfekencbs: 

Culler.  H.  i;.:  Medical  and   Dental  College  of  the  West,  Chkago,  1896.  p.   177. 

Danfurth.  I.  N. :  The  Life  u(  Nathan  Smith  Davis,  Chicauo,  1907. 

ilistur.v  of  Mrdicine  and  Surgery  and  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago.  Chicago,   1922. 

Ai.i-'RF.i^   \v.    n.wissox 

1N15-1W5 

When  the  oriniiial  faculty  of  Rush  Medic.il  CoUeKe  was  organized.  .Mfred 
W.  Davissoii  was  i)rosector  of  anatomy,  lie  was  born  at  Xeiiia,  Ohio.  May  31. 
1815,  his  parents  being  Andrew  W.  and  Rebecca  (.Todd)  Davissoii.  He  attended 
two  courses  of  lectures  at  Ohio  Medical  College,  but  it  has  not  been  possible 
to  learn  of  his  graduation.  During  his  student  days,  he  supported  himself  by 
making  wood  bedsteads  at  night. 

After  practicing  medicine  for  a  time  in  Indiana,  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1842. 
The  ne.\t  \ear  he  was  county  physician.  He  served  one  year  as  prosector  of 
anatomy  in  Rush  Medical  College,  and,  with  the  aid  of  his  negro  servant,  took 
an  active  part  in  securing  material   for  dissection. 

Davisson  soon  became  actively  interested  in  business,  and  dropped  medicine. 
In  1852,  in  conjunction  with  his  brother-in-law,  Thomas  McCalla,  he  established 
the  Bank  of  Commerce,  a  banking  lirm  composed  of  Davisson,  McCalla  &  Co. 
Of  this  he  was  president.  The  bank  was  first  located  on  the  present  site  of 
Sherman  Hotel,  but  in  1854  was  removed  to  Lake  and  Clark  streets,  where  the 
bank  erected  a  brick,  tive-story  building,  the  first  of  that  height  in  Chicago. 
Later  in  life  he  lived  in  Xew  York,  and  finally  at  .\llaiita.  (ia..  wlurr  be  died 
in  1895.     (  Portrait  p.  81.) 

JoilX     DKLAMATF.R 

17x;-KSo7 

Of  the  peripatetic  medical  professors,  so  freque.it  in  the  period  of  his  life, 
John  Delamater  is  one  of  the  outstanding  figures.  He  was  born  in  Chatham. 
X.  v.,  April  18,  1787.  He  was  of  Huguenot  descent,  and  his  father  was  a 
farmer.  When  19  years  of  age,  he  received  a  license  to  practice  medicine 
from  the  Medical  Society  of  Oswego  County,   X.  V. 

.^fter  spending  short  times  in  various  places  where  he  rapidly  acquired  a 
reputation  for  ability,  he  was  called  lo  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and  phar- 
macy in  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institution  at  Pittsficid,  Mass.,  in  182,?.  .\fter 
serving  here  for  three  years,  he  was  invited  to  occupy  the  chair  of  surgery 
in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  of  New 
York  at  Fairfield.  Here  he  remained  until  1840,  lecturing  on  surgery,  theory 
and  practice  of  physic,  midwifery  and  diseases  of  women.  From  1841  to  1843. 
he  lectured  on  general  pathology  and  materia  medica  in  Ijeneva  Medical  College. 
During  the  period  from  1828  to  1842.  he  also  delivered  courses  of  lectures  on 
various  subjects  in  the  Medical  School  of  Maine,  connected  with  Bowdoin 
College;  in  the  Medical  School  of  Xew  Ham|ishire.  connected  with  Dartmouth 
College;   in   the   University   of    Vermont;    in    the    University   of   Willoughby    at 


56 

Willoughby,  Ohio,  and  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  at  Cincinnati.  In 
1843,  when  the  school  at  Willoughby  removed  to  Cleveland,  he  became  pro- 
fessor in  Western  Reserve  College,  where  he  taught  general  pathology,  obstet- 
rics and  diseases  of  women  for  seventeen  years.  It  has  been  said  of  him  that 
he  aided  in  the  medical  education  of  more  young  men  than  any  man  of  his 
time,  and  that  he  was  the  most  versatile  medical  teacher  in  America.  He  gave 
over  seventy  courses  of  lectures  embracing  every  branch  of  medicine.  He 
contributed  to  medical  literature  in  several  articles  which  were  well  written. 
He  was  tlie  first  surgeon  in  ."Xnierica  to  perform  excision  of  the  scapula. 

References: 

Handerson,  Henry  E. :  Sketch  in  American  Medical  Biographies  by  Kelly  and  Burrage, 
Baltimore,  1920,  p.  303. 

Juettner,  Otto;  Daniel  Drake  and  His  Followers,  Cincinnati,  1909,  p.  170. 

ELIZUR     H.     DEMING 

1797-1855 

Elizur  H.  Deming  was  born  in  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  March  4,  1797. 
He  received  his  medical  degree  in  1827,  but  the  source  is  not  known. 

In  1821,  he  was  located  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  and  in  1834  in  Lafayette,  Ind. 
In  1842,  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  on  an  antislavery  platform.  In 
1846,  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  materia  luedica  and  therapeutics  in 
LaPorte  Medical  School.  In  1853,  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  general 
pathology  and  clinical  medicine  in  the  University  of  Missouri  and  completed 
two  courses  of  lectures  before  his  death.  In  1854,  he  was  president  of  the  State 
Medical  Society  of  Indiana.  About  1853,  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  presidency 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  but  his  antislavery  opinions  were  an  insuperable 
objection.     He  was  the  preceptor  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Mayo. 

References: 

Kemper.   G.    W.    H.:     A    Medical    History   of  the   State  of   Indi.ina,   Chicago,    1911,   p.   261. 
Tr.  Ind.  State  Med.  Soc,  1,S57,  p.  53. 

JOHN     F.     DILLON 

1831- 

John  F.  Dillon  was  a  member  of  the  first  class  to  receive  a  inedical  degree 
in  the  state  of  Iowa,  and  the  author  of  the  first  paper  printed  in  the  first 
medical  journal  published  in  that  state.  He  abandoned  medicine  for  law,  in 
which  he  achieved  great  success.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York,  Dec. 
25,  1831,  the  eldest  of  his  family.  In  1838,  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Iowa.  When  17  years  of  age,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  E.  S. 
Barrows  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  He  was  a  student  at  the  Rock  Island  Medical 
School  in  1848-1849,  and  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the 
Upper  Mississippi  at  Davenport  the  following  year,  where  he  received  his 
medical  degree  in  1850.  Before  his  graduation,  he  was  appointed  curator  of 
the  school.  In  1850.  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Iowa  State  Medical 
Society.  He  practiced  medicine  a  short  time  at  Farmington,  Iowa,  and  while 
■here  was  called  on  to  hold  a  necropsy  on  a  man  who  died  suddenly  under 
circumstances  which  led  to  a  general  belief  among  the  people  that  he  had 
died  because  of  malpractice.  It  was  found  that  death  was  caused  by  apoplexy 
associated  with  great  hypertrophy  of  the  heart.  .\  report  of  the  case  was 
published   by   him    under    the    title    "Rheumatic    Carditis,    .\utopsical    Examina- 


57 


..^- 


_-,^/  ^^i^^  p^~  '^--^^i:^'—"^ 
£»<^-    ^»--— ■--'Taa  ^^~^*^ 

Ki.  .!:cr    from    M.,5«s    L.    Ki.ai.i.    to    XiclioU    HarJ. 


^r^V*--- 


.■■.-- ...J 


58 

tion"  in  the  first  number  of  the  Mcdico-Chirurgical  Journal  nf  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
Sept.  1,  1850,  p.  1.  He  concludes  his  article  thus:  "I  have  drawn  up  this  hasty 
sketch  of  the  above  case  for  two  prominent  reasons;  in  the  first  place,  to 
present  your  readers  with  some  additional  testimony  confirmatory  of  the  fre- 
quent connection  between  arthritic  and  cardiac  disease ;  and  in  the  second  place, 
to  illustrate  the  great  benefit  often  derivable  from  necroscopic  examination. 
The  one  is  frequently  overlooked,  the  other  too  sadly  neglected." 

After  a  brief  experience  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  he  concluded  that  he 
had  made  a  mistake,  as  he  could  not  practice  medicine  in  this  country  without 
being  able  to  ride  on  horseback,  which  he  was  utterly  unable  to  do.  He  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  in  which  he  was  eminently  successful.  ."Kfter  serving  as 
judge  of  a  district  court  in  Iowa,  he  was  transferred  to  the  supreme  bench  of 
the  state.  A  few  years  later,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Grant  a  United 
States  circuit  judge,  which  office  he  held  10  years  until,  in  1879,  he  accepted  a 
call  by  Columbia  University  to  a  professorship  in  law.  Before  he  went  East, 
he  lectured  each  year  on  medical  jurisprudence  at  Iowa  University.  He  stated 
that  he  found  that  his  knowledge  of  medicine  and  its  principles  not  only  was 
a  great  satisfaction  throughout  his  life,  but  at  times  or  real  utility.^ 

1  Iowa  Medical  Journal,   1908,    14,   p.    397. 

JOHN     EVANS 
1814-1897 

John  Evans  was  born  at  Waynesville,  Ohio,  March  9,  1814.  His  father 
was  a  Quaker,  an  extensive  farmer  and  prosperous  merchant  of  Waynesville. 
In  a  letter  to  his  father,  written  in  January,  1836,  from  Cermont,  Pa.,  where 
he  was  in  school,  John  Evans  pleads  to  be  allowed  to  study  medicine.  He 
says :  "I  am  reading  physiology,  the  most  delightful  stuflf  that  I  have  found, 
but  all  the  books  are  more  and  more  interesting,  even  the  Latin  lesson  is  delight- 
ful." He  concluded  by  pleading  "nut  to  be  sent  liack  into  the  old  store  to  loll 
on  the  counter." 

It  is  evident  that  the  young  man  was  given  his  way,  for  in  1838  he  graduated 
from  the  Cincinnati  College.  His  wisdom  in  choosing  a  medical  school  is 
shown  in  the  selection  of  Cincinnati  College,  which  at  that  time  had  a  most 
remarkable  faculty,  comprising  such  men  as  Daniel  Drake,  Samuel  G.  Gross, 
Willard  Parker,  and  John  G.  Harrison. 

Provided  with  $10  and  a  pony  with  saddle  and  bridle,  gifts  from  his  father, 
he  located  at  Attica,  Ind. 

Several  years  of  agitation  terminated  in  the  establishment  of  the  Lunatic 
Asylum  of  Ohio  at  Columbus  in  1838,  the  year  Evans  graduated.  We  may 
expect  that  his  interest  in  this  matter  was  keen,  and  when  he  settled  in 
Indiana,  he  soon  began  to  plan  for  a  similar  hospital  there.  In  December, 
1840,  he,  together  with  Dr.  Isaac  Fisher,  sent  a  memorial  to  the  state  legislature 
urging  the  need  of  a  hospital  for  the  insane.  The  next  autumn  he  published 
an  article  in  the  Wabash  E.vl>rcss.  urging  its  necessity,  and  again  that  winter 
sent  another  memorial  to  the  legislature. ^ 

On  Dec.  25,  1843,  he  delivered  an  "Address  on  Insanity  and  the  Establish- 
ment of  a  Lunatic  Asylum  in  the  M.  E.  Church  before  the  committee  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  the  Public."  -  During  the  session  of  the  legis- 
lature of  1844-1845,  an  act  was  passed  and  approved  providing  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  state  lunatic  asylum   in   Indiana.     These  successful   efforts  of  Evans 

1  Nortli-Westcrn    Med.    &    Surg.    Tour..    1851.   8,    p.    371. 
=  111.    Med.    &    Surg.   Jour..    1844,    1.   p.    30. 


59 

began  bi-Iiire  Dorothy  Dix  had  bccoim-  iiroiiiiiieiitly  before  the  pubhc'  and 
they  do  not  appear  to  have  been  intlnenced  by  her  activities.  Kvans  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  liospital,  and  he  designed  and  directeil  the 
erection  of  the  buildings.  When  things  were  ready  for  tlie  reception  of  patients, 
he  resigned  to  take  up  new  tasks. 

In  1845.  John  Evans  became  professor  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  wmuen 
and  children  in  Rush  Medical  College.  The  next  year,  he  became  one  of  the 
editors  of  the  Illinois  and  Indiana  Medical  Journal.  His  editorial  connection 
with  this  publication  continued  through  6  volumes  (1846  to  1852).  Throughout 
these  volumes,  his  reviews  and  editorials  bear  evidence  to  his  skill  as  a  writer, 
to  his  judgment  and  foresight. 

In  1848,  he  established  his  residence  in  Chicago.  In  1850.  he  described  an 
obstetrical  extractor  to  take  the  place  of  forceps.  It  showed  a  great  deal  of 
originality.* 

During  the  years  he  lived  in  Chicago,  be  took  an  active  part  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  state  and  local  medical  societies,  and  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  Illinois  General  Hospital  of  the  Lakes,  which  later  became  Mercy  Hospital. 

Educational  institutions  always  specially  appealed  to  him,  and  he  was  active 
in  the  organization  of  the  public  schools.  His  interest  was  largely  responsible 
for  the  organization  of  Xorthwestern  University,  and  his  name  is  incorporated 
in  Evanston,  where  this  university  is  situated. 

The  pressure  of  financial  and  other  duties  caused  his  retirement  from  active 
practice  of  medicine,  and  two  or  three  years  later,  in  1857,  he  resigned  from 
Rush  Medical  College,  but  he  served  as  a  trustee  until  1863.  In  the  early 
sixties,  he  became  active  in  politics  and  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
nominated  Lincoln.  The  latter  appointed  him  Territorial  Governor  of  Colorado 
in  18<)2.  The  rest  of  his  life  was  iiassed  in  Denver,  where  he  was  always 
interested  and  active  in  all  matters  of  public  concern,  such  as  education,  trans- 
portation, etc.  On  his  80th  birthday,  special  honors  were  done  him  by  the  city 
of  Denver.     He  died  in  Denver  July  3.  1897. 

Taken  all  in  all,  Dr.  John  Evans  was  a  remarkable  man — a  great  organizer 
and  executive,  an  able  teacher  and  patron  of  eduction  in  all  lines,  a  philan- 
thropist in  a  wide  sense.     (Portrait  p.  81.) 

Reference: 
McMcchan.    E.   C:      Life   of  Governor   Evans.   Denver.    1924. 

ORPHEUS     EVERTS 

1826-1903 

Orpheus  Everts  was  born  at  Salem,  Ind.,  Dec.  26,  1826.  With  limited 
advantages  in  local  schools,  he  prepared  for  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he 
l)egan  under  his  father  and  Dr.  Daniel  Meeker  of  I^ Porte.  Ind.  He  graduated 
from  the  Indiana  Medical  College  in  1846.  and  located  at  St.  Charles,  111.,  where 
he  was  associated  with  Dr.  George  \V.  Richards.  In  1847  he  married  Mary. 
daughter  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Richards  of  St.  Charles,  111.  In  1849-1850,  he  became 
professor  of  chemistry  and  pharmacy  in  the  college  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  the  upper  Mississippi  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  leaving  St.  Charles  in  1856, 
he  assumed  the  editorship  of  a  newspaper  in  LaPorte.  Later,  he  studied  law, 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860.  When  the  Civil  War  began,  he  resumed 
his  medical  profession,  and  became  surgeon  of  the  Twentieth  Regiinent  Indiana 

"The  Institutional  care  of  the  Insane  in  the  U.  S.  and  Can.nda,  Baltimore,  1917, 
1.  p.  lO.i. 

•  NorthWentern  Med.  &  Surg.  Jour..  1850,   7,  p.   S3. 


60 

Volunteers,  and  was  present  at  all  the  battles  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac 
except  two.  After  the  war,  he  devoted  his  attention  to  phychiatry  and  diseases 
of  the  nervous  system.  In  1868,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Indiana 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  filled  the  position  for  11  years.  Also  in  1868, 
he  was  given  an  honorary  degree  from  Rush  Medical  College.  In  1880,  he 
became  superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  Sanitarium,  and  remained  at  its  head 
until  his  death  in  1903.  An  honorary  degree  was  granted  him  by  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan.  He  had  a  wide  reputation  as  an  alienist  and  as  an  e.xpert 
in  medicolegal  cases.     (Portrait  p.  83.) 

References: 

Aitkinson.  W.  B.:    The  Physicians  and   Surgeons  of  the  United  States,  Philadelphia,  1878. 
Kelly  and  Burrage:    American   Medical  Biographies,   1920,  p.   373. 
Juettner.    Otto;    Daniel    Drake   and    His    Followers,    Cincinnati,    1909,    p.    474. 
The  Institutional   care   of  the    Insane  in  the   United   States  and   Canada,   Baltimore,   1917, 
4,  p.   394. 

GRAHAM     N.     FITCH 
1810-1892 

Graham  N.  Fitch  was  born  in  LeRoy,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  S,  1810.  After  limited 
preliminary  education,  he  early  began  to  study  medicine  with  his  father.  Dr. 
Frederick  Fitch,  and  completed  his  studies  with  Dr.  Townsend  of  Geneva,  N.  Y. 
No  evidence  of  his  receiving  a  degree  has  been  found.  Beginning  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  his  native  town,  he  removed  to  Logansport,  Ind.,  in  1834. 
He  soon  established  a  reputation  as  a  skilful  surgeon.  He  became  professor 
of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children  in  Rush  Medical  College  in 
1844.  From  1845  to  1849,  he  was  professor  of  institutes  and  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  that  institution.  During  this  time,  his  ability  as  an  author  and  acute 
observer  is  reflected  in  his  lucid  description  of  epidemic  erysipelas,  based 
entirely  on  213  cases  of  which  he  took  clinical  notes.  He  insisted  on  the  con- 
tagiousness of  the  disease,  and  related  instances  of  transfer  through  infected 
clothing.  (III.  and  Ind.  Med.  and  Surg.  Jour.,  1846,  3,  p.  1).  That  he  possessed 
unusual  skill  as  a  clinical  teacher  is  indicated  by  a  report  of  his  "clinique"  in 
the  College  Dispensary  in  Chicago  (III.  and  Ind.  Med.  and  Surg.  Jour.,  1847,  4, 
p.  126V  .\s  a  delegate  from  Rush  Medical  College,  he  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Medical  Convention  which  met  iti  Philadelphia  in  1850  to  revise  the  U.  S. 
Phannacopea.  Dr.  Fitch  was  a  prominent  politician.  From  1836  to  1840,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Indiana  legislature ;  from  1848  to  1852,  he  represented 
his  district  in  Congress,  and  from  1856  to  1861,  he  was  United  States  senator 
from  Indiana.  When  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Northern  District  of 
Indiana,  he  resigned  his  professorship  in  Chicag(5.  In  all  of  his  legislative 
positions,  he  acquitted  himself  honorably.  He  foresaw  that  events  were  leading 
to  civil  war,  and  early  warned  his  Southern  colleagues  in  Congress  of  the  conse- 
quences which  would  result  in  their  section  of  the  country  if  this  occurred. 
Although  a  strong  Democrat,  he  refused  to  support  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  The 
latter  challenged  him  to  a  duel,  which  Fitch  accepted.  The  knowledge  of  Fitch's 
unerring  markmanship  caused  Douglas'  friends  to  interfere,  and  the  duel  never 
came  off. 

Fitch's  ancestors  had  been  soldiers,  his  grandfather  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  his  father  in  the  war  of  1812.  When  the  Civil  War  opened,  he 
raised  a  regiment  (the  Forty-sixth  Indiana  Volunteers)  and  entered  the  Federal 
service  at  its  head.  He  was  soon  in  command  of  a  brigade.  He  performed 
valuable  service  in  many  of  the  engagements  along  the  lower  Mississippi  and 
in  Arkansas. 


61 


Fig.   ."J.— Dr.   George  W.   Richard's  house  al   St.   Charles.   111. 


62 

After  the  war,  he  resumed  his  medical  work  in  Logansport,  and  ahhough 
not  again  actively  in  poHtics,  he  always  vigorously  opposed  what  he  thought 
wrong  in  civil  and  political  affairs.  He  was  active  in  medical  societies,  and 
interested  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  profession.  Dr.  Fitch  died  in  Logans- 
port  in  1892,  aged  82  years.  (Portrait  p.  11.) 
References: 

Stone,  R.  French:  Biography  of  Eminent  American  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Indian- 
apolis, 1894,  p.   161. 

Kemper,   G.   W.   H. :    A   Medical  History  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  Chicago,    1911,  p.   270. 

Miller,  George  D. :  A  Biographical  Sketch  of  the  Deceased  Physicians  of  Cass  County, 
Logansport,  1920,  p.  5. 

AUSTIN     FLINT 
1812-1886 

At  the  beginning  of  its  career,  it  was  the  good  fortune  of  Rush  Medical 
College  to  have  for  a  year  the  service  of  a  man  who  stood  among  the  leading 
medical  teachers  of  this  country   for  fifty  years. 

Austin  Flint  was  born  in  Petersham,  Mass.,  Oct.  20,  1812,  being  the  fourth 
in  succession  of  a  medical  ancestry.  After  academic  courses  in  Amherst  and 
Harvard,  he  graduated  from  the  Harvard  Aledical  School  in  1833.  After  prac- 
tising a  short  time,  he  moved  to  Buffalo  in  1836.  During  the  succeeding  fifty 
years,  he  served  as  professor  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  medicine  in  several 
medical  schools  in  various  parts  of  the  country :  Buffalo  Medical  College,  1836- 
1844,  and  1846-1852;  Rush  Medical  College,  1844-1845;  University  of  Louis- 
ville, 1852-1856;  New  Orleans  School  of  Medicine,  1859-1861;  Long  Island 
College  Hospital,  1861-1868;  Bellevue  Hospital,  1861-1886.  Because  of  his  exten- 
sive study  and  writings  on  diseases  of  the  chest,  he  was  referred  to  by  Gross 
as  the  "American  Laennec." 

His  "Principles  and  Practice  of  Medicine."  issued  in  1866,  passed  through 
seven  editions,  and  was  valued  by  American  physicians  and  students  for  twenty- 
five  }-ears  as  the  best  available  book  in  English  on  the  practice  of  medicine. 

As  a  diagnostician  and  clinical  teacher  he  ranked  high."     (Portrait  p.  11.) 

1  Kelly  and  Burrage:   American  Medical  Biographies,   1920. 

JOSIAH     C.     GOODHUE 
1794-1847 

The  father  of  Josiah  Cosmore  Goodhue  was  Dr.  Josiah  Goodhue,  who  became 
president  of  Berskire  Medical  Institute  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  1823,  and  con- 
tinued to  teach  there  until  his  death  in  1829.  He  was  the  preceptor  of  Xathan 
Smith,  and  a  prominent  man  in  New  England. 

Josiah  Cosmore  Goodhue  was  born  in  1794  at  Putney,  Vt.  In  1829,  he 
graduated  from  Yale  Medical  School.  The  choice  of  Yale  as  his  medical  school 
was  probably  made  because  of  the  presence  there  of  Xathan  Smith,  who  had 
organized  the  school  in  1813.  In  October,  1829,  he  received  a  certificate  to 
practice  in  Canada  (Canniff,  W. :  Medical  Profession  in  L'pper  Canada  1783- 
1850,  Toronto,  1894.  p.  56).  He  practiced  at  St.  Thomas  until  1832.  when  he 
moved  to  Chicago.  He  journeyed  by  sail  boat  from  Lake  Erie  to  Michigan 
City,  and  from  there  to  Chicago  by  horse.  When  Chicago  was  organized  as 
a  city  in  1837,  the  city  was  divided  into  6  wards,  and  Dr.  J.  C.  Goodhue  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  council  from  the  first  ward.  As  such,  he  had  drawn 
up  by  Hon.  John  Y.  Scammon  the  city  ordinance,  which  resulted  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  public  school  system  of  Chicago.  He  designed  the  seal  of  the 
citv.     He  selected  a  central   sheaf  of  wheat  as   signifying  that  plenty  which   he 


63 

saw  for  the  future  city,  a  ship  to  typify  her  commercial  supremacy,  an  Indian 
as  historical  ami  an  infant  in  a  sea-shell  crowning  all  as  a  symhol  of  Chicago's 
hcauty  as  "The  Pearl  of  the  Lakes."  The  motto,  "i'rbs  in  horto"  (City  in  a 
garden)  was  suggested  hy  the  line  gardens  which  surrounded  many  homes.  In 
18J6,  he  was  on  a  committee  of  prominent  citizens  appointed  to  solicit  snhscrip- 
tions  to  stock  in  Cliicago's  newly  incorporated  lirst  railroad,  the  Chicago  and 
Galena  Union.  He  was  interested  with  several  prominent  men  in  a  mill 
privilege  on  the  Rock  river,  and  at  his  suggestion  its  location  was  designated 
Rockford,  because  of  the  splendid  ford  of  rock  in  the  river.  In  1838,  he  moved 
to  Rockford.  On  Feb.  17,  184(),  he  was  otic  of  the  organizers  and  president 
of  the  Rock  River  Medical  Society  which  met  at  Rockford  (111.  Med.  &  Surg. 
Journ.,  1846,  2,  p.  180;  111.  and  Ind.  Med.  and  Surg.  Journ.,  184<).  3,  pp.  153 
and  252).  His  address  at  this  time  contains  much  regarding  early  medical 
history. 

In  1847,  while  making  a  night  call,  he  fell  into  an  open  well  when 
leaving  the  patient's  house,  and  died  from  the  resulting  injuries. 

NICHOLS     II.XRD 
1818-1851 

Dr.  Xifhols  Hard  was  descended  from  a  long  line  of  educated  ancestors 
who  had  lived  in  the  state  of  New  York.  He  was  one  of  four  brothers,  each 
of  whoin  studied  medicine,  and  three  of  whom  were  among  the  ablest  prac- 
titioners in  northern  Illinois  during  their  lifetime.  Nichols  Hard  was  born 
July  4,  1818,  probably  at  Geneva.  New  York. 

While  his  sons  were  still  young,  the  father,  Peter  Nichols  Hard,  moved 
froin  New  York  to  Grass  Lake  near  Dexter,  Mich.,  where  he  was  drowned  in 
1837.  Thrown  on  his  own  resources  when  18  years  of  age,  Nichols  matriculated 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  at  Cincinnati  in  1839,  and  graduated  from  that 
school  in  1841.  when  22  years  old.  One  week  after  his  graduation,  he  began 
a  journey  by  boat  from  Cincinnati  to  New  Orleans.  A  little  "Journal,"  ' 
which  he  kept  during  the  trip,  enables  us  to  form  some  picture  of  this  modest, 
enthusiastic  youth,  and  to  recognize  the  qualities  which  characterized  him 
always.  There  is  evidence  of  his  acute  power  of  observation,  interest  in  the 
objects  of  nature,  love  of  the  beautiful,  and  a  gentle  humor.  The  first  entry  in 
the  "Journal,", a  farewell  to  the  "Queen  City,"  "Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 
where  I  have  passed  hours  of  sadness  and  moments  of  bliss,"  suggests  that  he 
had  not  secured  his  medical  education  without  a  struggle. 

Reference  is  made  to  points  of  interest  along  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers. 
At  Xorthbend  he  saw  the  "log  cabin"  of  President  Harrison  and  remarked : 
"Here  from  this  spot  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  have  the  millions  of  freemen 
chosen  a  Chief  Magistrate — whether  in  wisdom  or  n'cakncss.  time  will  soon 
inform  us." 

Near  Baton  Rouge,  he  accomplished  the  principal  purpose  of  his  journey  in 
visiting  an  elder  half-brother,  whom  he  had  never  seen.  This  half-brother, 
Anson  Owen  Hard,  was  his  senior  by  5  years,  and  received  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
from  Yale  College  in  1836.  He  was  practicing  medicine  at  Stony  Point,  near 
Baton  Rouge,  La.  The  "Journal"  ends  at  New  Orleans,  of  which  he  wrote 
with  much  interest. 

In  the  fall  of  1842,  we  find  him  at  St.  Charles,  111.,  beginning  his  successful 
career  as  a  teacher,  and  writing  enthusiastic  letters  of  his  work  and  prospects 

*  A  short  and  disconnected  journal  of  a  trip  down  tlic  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  Jfarch, 
1841.  hy  N.  Hard.  Manuscript  possessed  by  Mrs.  Edwanl  C.  O'lSrien,  icrand-dauchter  ol* 
Nichols  Hard. 


64 

to  Eunice  Farnsworth,  whom  he  married  April  9,  1843.  He  continued  to  teach 
in  the  medical  school  operated  by  George  W.  Richards  and  to  practice  medicine 
at  St.  Charles  until  1845,  when  he  moved  to  Aurora,  111.,  where  he  successfully 
practiced  medicine  until  his  death. 

In  1844,  Nichols  Hard  became  professor  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women 
and  children  in  the  Medical  Department  of  LaPorte  University,  and  served  in 
this  capacity  until  1850,  when  the  school  was  discontinued.  Two  addresses  pre- 
pared by  Hard  while  connected  with  the  medical  school  at  LaPorte  have  been 
found.  One  is  a  valedictory  address  given  at  the  close  of  the  session  in  1846, 
entitled  "The  Practice  of  Medicine — Its  Roses  and  Thorns — the  Way  to  Secure 
the  Former  and  Avoid  the  Latter."  2  This  address  is  well  written,  showing  a 
good  command  of  English  and  presenting  a  great  fund  of  valuable  information 
and  advice  to  the  graduates  in  a  logical  and  pleasing  manner.  The  other  address 
is  an  introductory  lecture  read  in  1848.'  He  then  departed  from  the  common 
custom  and  presented  a  discussion  of  a  purely  scientific  subject.  The  subject 
of  "Atresia  Vaginae"  was  discussed  in  a  masterful  manner,  illustrated  from 
personal  experience,  showing  his  skill  as  a  teacher  and  writer. 

From  the  time,  he  located  in  St.  Charles  to  his  death,  he  was  a  popular  pre- 
ceptor of  medical  students,  large  numbers  of  whom  came  to  him  for  instructions. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Fox  River  Medical  Association  at  Elgin,  Fet.  1,  1850,'' 
he  "delivered  an  able  and  interesting  address  on  cholera,  showing  its  contagious 
character  as  exhibited  in  the  epidemic  of  1849,  especially  in  that  which  appeared 
at  Aurora,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  the  fallacy  of  specific  cures  and  the  departure  from 
the  usual  concomitant  symptoms  as  there  exhibited." 

In  1850,  N.  Hard  was  made  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  University  of 
Iowa  at  Keokuk. 

In  the  summer  of  1851,  he  contracted  cholera,  and  with  impaired  health  an 
attack  of  dysentery  caused  his  death,  Oct.  16,  1851.  A  colleague  wrote  of  him: 
"Prof.  Hard  maintained  a  good  character  as  a  pleasing  and  instructive  lecturer 
during  his  connection  with  the  medical  schools  at  LaPorte,  Ind.,  and  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  and  enjoj'ed  a  high  reputation  as  a  practitioner  in  Aurora,  III.,  the  place 
of  his  residence.  He  has  been  cut  down  in  the  prime  of  life  and  in  the  midst 
of  his  usefulness."  ^  Speaking  of  the  medical  school  at  Keokuk,  Keabbs  of  the 
class  of  1852,  said :"  "Late  in  the  fall  of  '51  Professor  Hard  died.  This  was  in 
many  ways  a  loss  to  the  college.  He  was  a  strong,  level-headed  man  from 
-'Aurora,  Illinois,  and  had  more  students  than  all  the  other  professors  combined, 
except  Professor  Richards." 

X.  Hard  was  fond  of  the  best  literature,  and  had  excellent  musical  taste,  as 
had  also  his  wife.  They  were  the  first  in  Aurora  to  possess  a  piano.  He 
collected  a  cabinet  of  geological  specimens  and  wrote  shorthand. 

The  records  of  the  life  and  activities  of  Nichols  Hard  are  few,  but  there  is 
sufficient  to  show  that  his  was  an  unusual  character.  He  had  an  excellent  repu- 
tation as  a  popular  teacher  and  able  practitioner.  Kindly  toward  others,  he 
received  an  unrelated  orphan  girl  into  his  family,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
the  education  of  his  two  younger  brothers.  Both  brothers  became  able  physi- 
cians, Chester  Hard  in  Ottawa  and  Abner  Hard  in  .Aurora,  111.  His  life  work 
was  completed  when  he  was  but  33  years  of  age.     (Portrait  p.  87.) 

=  The  Practice  of  Medicine — Its  Roses  and  Thorns — the  Way  to  Secure  the  Former  and 
Avoid  the  Latter.  LaPorte,  1846.  Manuscript  possessed  by  Mrs.  Geneve  Hard  Murphy, 
niece  of  Nichols  Hard. 

»  Hard.  N.:    Lecture  on  Atresia  Vaginae.  LaPorte.   1848. 

«  North-Western  Med.   &  Surg.  Jour.,   1850,    6,  p.   517. 

"Ibid.,   1851,  8,  p.  306. 

"The   Chieftain,    1907.      Also   personal    communications    from    Mrs.    Geneve    Hard   Murphy. 


65 


Fig.   24.— Front  door  cf    Dr.    Richar<l'<   houK,    sh.HinK   l>ullcl    iiurk    al>ove   knob. 


66 

JOSIAH     B.     HERRICK 

1821-1850 

Josiah  B.  Herrick  was  born  Jan.  8,  1821,  in  Durham,  Me.  He  was  a 
younger  brother  of  William  B.  Herrick,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  state  until  he  came  West  and  continued  his  studies  in  the  Hillsboro 
Academy  at  Hillsboro,  111.  He  began  to  study  medicine  in  St.  Louis,  continued 
it  in  Chicago,  and  graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College  in  1845.  He  located 
at  Vandalia,  III.,  where  he  practiced  medicine.  In  1848,  he  became  demonstrator 
of  anatomy  in  his  ahna  mater.  In  this  year,  he  married  a  daughter  of  General 
William  F.  Thornton  of  Shelbyville,  111.  The  young  wife  died  in  1849,  leaving 
an  infant  son.  After  the  death  of  his  wife.  Dr.  Herrick  moved  to  Sheboygan, 
Wis.,  but  in  the  spring  of  1850,  he  joined  a  party  going  to  California  by  the 
way  of  Panama.  At  Sacramento  he  died  of  peritonitis,  July  14,  1850.  In  an 
obituary  notice  in  the  North-Western  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  (1850, 
7,  p.  266),  he  is  spoken  of  as  a  young  man  of  much  promise,  endowed  with 
a  quick  and  philosophical  mind,  a  strong  constitution,  great  energy  and  zeal  in 
the  prosecution  of  his  designs.  Special  mention  is  made  of  his  affability  and 
kindness  which  had  secured  to  him  a  large  circle  of  friends.     (Portrait  p.  81.) 

WILLIAM    B.     HERRICK 
1813-1865 

William  B.  Herrick  was  born  in  Durham,  Me.,  Sept.  20,  1813.  When  16 
years  old,  he  began  teaching  school,  and  at  intervals  attended  Gorham  Academy, 
Me.  He  attended  lectures  at  Bowdoin  and  Dartmouth  Colleges,  graduating 
from  the  medical  department  of  the  latter  Nov.  16,  1836. 

In  1837,  he  settled  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  was  appointed  assistant  demon- 
strator of  anatomy  in  the  Louisville  Medical  Institute.  In  1839,  he  moved  to 
Hillsboro,  III.  In  1844,  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  medical 
department  of  Illinois  College,  but  did  not  occupy  it,  but  came  to  Chicago  and 
became  lecturer  on  anatomy  in  Rush  Medical  College.  From  1845  to  1850,  he 
was  professor  of  anatomy,  from  1850  to  1855  professor  of  anatomy  and  physiol- 
og}',  and  from  1855  to  1857,  professor  of  physiology  and  patholog}\ 

When  the  Mexican  War  began,  he  was  appinted  assistant  surgeon  in  the 
First  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was  in  the  engagement  at  Buena 
Vista.     Later,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  hospital  of  Saltillo. 

In  May,  1847,  ill  health  compelled  him  to  resign,  and  he  returned  to  Chicago 
to  resume  his  duties.  In  June,  1850,  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society,  and  served  as  its  first  president.  He  also  in  that  year 
aided  in  organizing  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  and  was  its  second  president. 
He  aided  in  editing  the  Illinois  and  Indiana  Medical  Journal  from  1846  to  1849, 
and  wrote  many  able  reviews  and  editorials. 

When  the  U.  S.  Marine  Hospital  at  Chicago  was  opened  in  1852,  William 
B.  Herrick  was  appointed  surgeon  and  physician  to  the  institution. 

In  1857,  Herrick  was  compelled  to  resign  his  college  position  because  of 
broken  health,  never  having  been  well  after  the  sickness  contracted  during  the 
Mexican  campaign.  He  returned  to  his  native  state,  where  he  died  on  Dec. 
31,  1865. 

It  was  said  of  him  that  "few  who  have  been  associated  with  him,  in  the 
office  of   medical   instructor,   ever   exceeded   him    in   the   influence   he   had   upon 


67 

his  students  by  tlio  zealous  and  liiKli-toned  ardor  tliat   characterized   his  ciucst 
of  science  and  his  skill  in  communicating  it  to  tithers."     (Portrait  p.  81.) 

Refereni ts; 
Chicago  Mr.lical  Kxamincr.   1866.  7,  p.   l.'O. 

History  uf  Mr.li>-iii<-  jml  Surgery  and  l'liysici;iiis  an.l  Surucons  of  Cliuau...  CliiiaK". 
19.'.',  p.  Ai 

TOMPKINS     IlKiDAV 
1820-18/0 

Tompkins  Higday  was  born  in  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  V.,  August,  1820.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Homer  Academy,  Cortland  Co.. 
N.  Y.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  al)out  1844,  with  Dr.  .\.  li.  Shipman 
at  Cortlandvillc,  N.  V.,  and  attended  one  course  of  lectures  at  Geneva  Medical 
College.     He  graduated  at   Indiana   Medical   College  at    Lal'orte,    Ind.,   in   1847. 

His  thesis  was  on  ".Xbdominal  Surgery."  and  he  always  paid  special  atten- 
tion to  general  surgery.  He  tilled  the  chair  of  physiology  and  general  pathology 
in  Indiana  Medical  College  from  the  year  of  his  graduation  until  the  di.scon- 
tinuance  of  the  school.  He  wrote  a  valuable  history  of  "The  Indiana  Medical 
College.  Lal'orte.  Ind..   1842  to  1850"   (Tr.   Ind.   State  Med.  Soc,   1874  p.  24.) 

When  Rush  Medical  College  was  raising  funds  to  rebuild  after  the  Chicago 
tire.  Tompkins  Higday  was  one  of  four  who  purchased  scholarships  for  $500. 
His  name  is  one  of  those  appearing  in  the  colored  memorial  windi  w  in  the 
front  of  the  college  building.     (Portrait  p.  5.!.) 

.VBISliA     S.     HUDSON 
1819-1905 

A.  S.  Hudson  was  born  in  Massachusetts  May  1.  1819,  and  in  early  life  was 
taken  to  Jefferson  County,  \.  V.  In  1846,  he  graduated  from  .Mbaiiy  Medical 
College.  Coming  west,  he  located  at  Sterling  111.,  where  he  carried  on  a 
general  medical  practice  for  more  than  twenty  years. 

In  1849.  Hudson  became  prosector  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women 
and  children  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  upper  Mississippi 
at  Davenport.  Iowa,  and  the  following  year  he  was  professor  of  materia  medica 
and  therapeutics  at  Keokuk  in  the  Medical  Department  of  Iowa  State  University. 

When  the  Rock  River  Union  Medical  ."society  was  organized  in  1855.  Hudson 
was  elected  vice  president.  He  was  cliosen  to  represent  the  society  at  the 
next  annual  meeting  of  the  National  Medical  .Association,  and  was  appointed 
to  deliver  the  leading  address  at  the  next  annual  meeting.* 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  in  1859,  he  was 
awarded  a  prize  for  the  best  essay  on  "The  Uses  of  Opium  in  Inflammatory 
Diseases."  -  The  same  year,  he  became  professor  of  physiology  and  pathology 
in  Rush  Medical  College. 

During  the  Civil  War^  Hudson  served  as  surgeon  of  the  Thirty-fourtli  Illi- 
nois  Infantry. 

In  1871,  he  moved  to  Stockton.  Calif.,  where  he  was  associated  with  his 
twin  brother,  A.  T.  Hudson,  until  ill  health  compelled  him  to  discontinue  active 
practice.  The  last  five  years  of  his  life  were  spent  at  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio, 
where  he  died  on  Oct.  9,  1905. 

A.  .S.  Hudson  seems  to  have  been  a  student,  fond  of  scientific  study.  He 
was  evidently  an  acceptable  teacher,  having  been  c.illed  to  a  chair  in  Rush 
after  his  experience  in  the  other  schools.     (Portrait  p.  8,?.) 

'  NnrthWcKttrn   M<-d.  &   Surg.  Jour..  1855.   12,  p    .V,.1. 
=  Chicago   Med.  Jonr.,   I8S9,   16,  p.   4^1 


FRANKLIN     W.     HUNT 
1810- 

F.  W.  Hunti  was  born  on  Nov.  10,  1810,  in  Wayne  County,  Ind.  ]-le  began 
practice  during  the  cholera  epidemic  at  Richmond,  Ind.,  in  1833-1834. 

He  wa,s  professor  of  materia  medica  and  botany  in  the  LaPorte  Medical 
School  1842-1843.  He  is  said  to  have  graduated  at  the  Indiana  Medical  College. 
He  was  prominent  in  Indiana  state  politics,  having  participated  in  the  production 
of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  Indiana  in  18S2.  He  was  active  in  building  up  benev- 
olent and  scientific  institutions  in  Indiana,  including  the  asylums  for  the  blind, 
deaf  and  dumb  and  insane.  About  1852,  he  expressed  his  approval  of  homeopathy 
and  aided  in  establishing  the  New  York  Homeopathic  College,  in  which  he 
occupied  a  chair  for  five  years.  He  was  subsequently  identified  with  homeo- 
pathic organizations  and  publications. 

'  Biographical  Cyclopaedia  of  Homeopatliic  Pliysicians  and  Surgeons,  Pliiladelpliia,  1S73, 
p.  328. 

HENRY     JONES 

1803-1884 

Henry  Jones  was  born  in  New  York  City.  August  26,  1803.  He  graduated  from 
the  Berkshire  Medical  College  in  1824,  his  theses  entitled  "On  the  Analogue  exist- 
ing between  certain  American  indigenous  vegetables  and  foreign  articles  of 
medicine"  being  still  preserved  in  the  Berkshire  Athenaeum  and  Museum  at  Pitts- 
field,  Massachusetts.  He  began  practice  in  New  York  City  and  in  1826  married 
Catherine  Smith  of  Hadley,  Massacliusetts.  In  1831  he  moved  west,  locating  at 
Jacksonville,  lillinois,  where  he  continued  in  active  practice  the  balance  of  his  life. 
He  was  professor  of  obstetrics  in  the  Medical  Department  of  Illinois  College 
during  the  entire  period  of  its  existence.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  good 
education  and  an  excellent  teacher.     He  died  in  1884. 

JOHN     ALBERT     KENNICOTT 
1802-1863 

John  .\.  Kennicott  was  born  in  Montgomery  Co..  N.  Y..  (?)  Jan.  5.  1802. 
About  1823,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  Buffalo,  and  graduated  at  the 
Fairfield  Medical  School  in  1826.  He  was  early  an  enthusiast  on  subjects^  of 
botany  and  horticulture,  and  gave  lectures  on  these  subjects  in  his  twenty-first 
year.  In  1829.  he  went  to  New  Orleans,  visiting  several  cities,  and  practiced 
medicine  and  lectured  near  Jackson.  Miss.,  during  one  summer.  He  remained 
at  New  (Drleans  until  the  spring  of  1836,  serving  for  6  years  as  principal  of 
the  upper  primary  school.  Old  Fauxbourg.  St.  Mary's.  While  there,  he  estab- 
lished the  Louisiana  Recorder,  a  literary,  scientific  and  religious  paper.i 

When  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1836.  he  located  at  The  Grove  (later  North- 
field),  Cook  County,  where  he  practiced  medicine  with  unusual  success  for 
about  twenty-seven  years.  He  covered  a  circuit  of  30  miles  on  horseback,  over 
dirt  roads  in  storms  and  floods,  through  swollen  streams  and  almost  bottom- 
less mud.  At  his  home  he  established  a  nursery  on  the  ridge  dividing  the 
Des  Plaines  water  shed  from  the  Lake  Michigan  water  shed,  and  on  the  plank 
road  leading  to  Milwaukee. 

June  8,  1852.  a  convention  met  at  Springfield  to  consider  the  plan  for  an 
industrial  university.  Dr.  John  A.  Kennicott  was  president.  At  tliis  time, 
Jonathan  B.  Turner  presented  his  plan  for  an  industrial  university. 

'DuSonchet:    Dental  Rev.,  Chicago.  1911,  25.  p.   376. 


69 


I),., ,1,1    St..!;.    ■4,     K.lu^.r.l    M,,,.;,     1  =  1     ll.Iiry     W  i 


70 

Dr.  Kennicott  was  an  earnest  friend  of  J.  B.  Turner,  with  whom  he  was 
associated  through  the  most  trying  years  of  the  campaign  that  led  to  the 
establishment  of  the  land  grant  system  of  industrial  universities.  After  J.  B. 
Turner,  John  A.  Kennicott  and  Bronson  Murray  are  most  to  be  credited  with 
initiating  and  advancing  the  movement  which  finally  led  to  the  establishment 
of  the  present  state  university  of  Illinois.-  He  was  one  of  the  first  officers 
of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  and  edited  one  or  two  of  its  annual  reports. 
From  1853  to  1855,  he  was  horticultural  editor  of  the  Prairie  Fanner,  and 
contributed  many  articles  on  horticulture  to  this  publication. 

When  J.  A.  Kennicott  was  president  of  the  North  American  Pomological 
Convention,  held  at  Syracuse  in  1849,  he  made  a  report  as  chairman  of  the 
committee  from  Illinois.  He  closed  the  report  with  remarks  upon  "the  prophy- 
lactic and  curative  properties  of  ripe  fruits."  After  calling  attention  to  the 
many  virtues  of  fruit  in  health  and  disease,  he  adds :  "It  is  the  best,  the 
cheapest,  and  the  least  exceptionable  cure  for  intemperance.  It  not  only  lessens 
the  desire  for  alcoholic  drinks,  but  supplies  their  place,  and  removes  the  effects. 
Eve  was  tempted  by  an  'apple.'  A  good  God  has  given  us  the  object  of  'the 
primal  sin'  as  a  great  blessing."'' 

=  Powell.   B.   E. :    University  of  Illinois,   Semi-Centennial   History,    1918. 
»  North-Western  Med.  &  Surg.  Jour.,  1850,  2.  p.  519. 

EDMUND     STOUGHTON     KIMBERLY 
1803-1874 

Among  the  original  members  of  the  colony  of  New  Haven  was  Thomas 
Kimberly,  the  remote  ancestor  of  Edmund  S.  Kimberly,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  influential  and  public  spirited  citizens  in  the  formative  period  in  Chicago. 
Edmund  S.  Kimberly  was  born  in  1803  at  Troy,  N.  Y.  .He  graduated  from 
the  academy  at  Lennox,  Mass.,  in  1849,  and  from  Union  College,  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  in  1822.  Being  commissioned  surgeon's  mate  by  Governor  Dewitt  Clin- 
ton, he  spent  some  time  observing  the  febrile  disease  of  the  southern  states, 
then  returned  to  New  York  and  resumed  the  study  of  medicine.  He  was  a 
student  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York  during  1824- 
1825,  but  did  not  graduate. 

In  1832,  he  came  to  Chicago,  being,  according  to  Goodhue,  the  second 
physician  to  settle  in  Chicago  (111.  and  Ind.  Med.  &  Surg.  Jour.,  1846,  3,  p. 
260).  He  served  as  clerk  at  the  meeting  held  in  1833,  which  determined  the 
incorporation  of  Chicago  as  a  village.  In  1834,  he  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Chicago  Board  of  Health.  In  1837,  he  aided  in  securing  the  charter  of  Rush 
Medical  College  through  the  effects  of  his  business  partner,  Pruyne,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  state  senate.  In  1844-1846,  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
efforts  made  through  school  conventions  to  bring  about  an  efficient  public  school 
system  in  the  state. 

From  1834,  when  he  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  health,  until  1847, 
he  was  active  in  public  health  matters,  being  part  of  the  time  the  health  officer 
of  the  city. 

When  the  City  Hospital  was  established,  in  1846,  he  was  consulting  physician 
on  the  staff.  In  1847,  he  was  elected  recorder  of  Cook  County,  and  in  1843 
clerk  of  the  county.  In  1848-1850,  he  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of 
Education. 

Forced  by  failing  health,  he  retired  from  active  life  in  1858,  and  took  up 
his  residence  near  Barrington,  111.,   on  land  bordering  on  the  eastern   shore  of 


71 

Honey  Lake.  Here  at  Hybla  Hill  lie  lived  until  his  death  in  1874.  The 
estate  was  purchased  in  1905  by  Prof.  E.  O.  Jordan  of  the  University  of  Chicago, 
and  here  the  Serum  Division  of  the  John  McCorinick  Institute  for  Infectious 
Diseases  for  several  years  produced  diphtheria  antito.xin,  probably  the  tirst  of 
this  agent  manufactured  in  Illinois. 

Kefeiie.sces: 

The  Barrington   Rev..   Sept.    18,   1903. 

Hist,  of  Med.  and   Surg,  and   Thysician  and   Surgeons  of  Chicago,   1922,  p.   27. 

MOSES     L.     KX.VPP 
1799-1879 

In  his  association  with  newly  organized  medical  schools,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  had  unusual  e.xperience.  He  was  a  private  student  of  George  McClcllan 
when  the  latter  organized  Jefferson  Medical  College,  and  graduated  in  the 
first  class  sent  out  by  that  school.  He  was  on  the  original  faculties  of  two  of 
the  medical  schools  under  consideration,  and  for  some  time  was  professor  in 
the  third.     He  rightly  referred  to  himself  as  a  "ncw-schoolsman." 

Moses  L.  Knapp  was  born  Nov.  25,  1799,  at  Barkhamstcad,  Conn.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Oxford.  X.  V.,  and  in  1825  he  matriculated 
at  the  first  session  of  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia.'  He  was  one 
of  the  twenty  men  who  formed  the  first  class  graduating  from  that  institution 
in  1826.  He  stood  at  the  top  of  his  class,  and  his  thesis,  ".\pocynum  Canna- 
binum,"  was  the  first  handed  in  and  the  first  thesis  from  Jefferson  Medical 
College  to  be  printed.-  In  the  first  edition  of  the  Dispensatory  of  the  United 
States  of  America  by  Wood  and  Bachc,  the  thesis  of  Knapp  is  referred  to  as 
the  principal  authority  on  Apocynum  Cannabinum  or  Indian  hemp,  and  quota- 
tion is  made  from  it. 

.\fter  graduation  he  located  in  Baltimore  and  practiced  there  until  about 
1831,  when  he  migrated  to  Illinois.  On  .\ug.  20,  1831,  Dr.  Knapp  married 
Mary  Jane  Long,  and  went  to  Springfield  to  live.  Here  he  practiced  medicine 
for  about  3  years.  He  bought  large  quantities  of  land,  becoming  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  in  Logan  County.  .Xftcr  the  financial  panic  in  1837,  his 
land  values  shrunk,  and  there  was  no  money  to  pay  taxes.  He  moved  his 
family  to  Waynesville,  111.,  and  later  to  Middletown,  and  continued  to  practice 
medicine.  In  1845,  he  moved  his  family,  consisting  of  wife  and  5  children, 
to  Chicago,  where  he  followed  his  profession  until  1851.  His  home  was  at 
96  Clark  St.,  opposite  the  public  square  now  occupied  by  the  City  and  County 
buildings.  Everywhere  he  was  a  leader  in  all  social  and  political  activities. 
When  Rush  Medical  College  was  organized  in  1843,  Knapp  entered  the  faculty 
as  professor  of  obstetrics,^  still  residing  at  Waynesville.  From  1845  to  1851, 
he  resided  in  Chicago,  and  practiced  his  profession  and  was  professor  of 
chemistry  in  the  University  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Lake.  He  served  as  professor 
of  materia  medica  in  Indiana  College  at  LaPorte,  from  1844  to  1846,<  and 
while   he   does   not   appear   among  the    faculty  of   1846-1847,   he   delivered   the 

'Gould,  C.  M.:  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia.  X.  Y.  and  Chicago,  1904, 
p.  63. 

'Wood.  G.  B..  and  Bache.  Franklin:  The  Dispensatory  of  the  United  States  of  America; 
Inaugural  dissertation  on  the  properties  of  the  Apocynum  Cannabinum  (Indian  Hemp), 
submitted  to  the  faculty  of  the  Jefferson  Meilical  College,  I>hiladelphia.  1836,  Philadelphia, 
1833.  n.  96. 

•Bridge.  Norman,  and  Rhodes,  John  Edwin:  History  of  Rush  Medical  College  and 
Med.  &  Denul  Colleges  of  the  We<t.  Chicago,   1896. 

•Kemper.  G.  W. :    A  Medical  History  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  Chicago,   1911.  p.   53. 


72 

address  to  the  graduating  class  in  1847.^  In  the  autumn  of  1848,  he  delivered 
the  opening  address  at  the  first  session  of  the  Rock  Island  Medical  school,  in 
which  he  was  president  and  professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics.^ 
The  following  year  he  followed  this  migrating  school  to  Davenport,  Iowa.' 
In  1850,  his  health  was  such  that  it  was  deemed  wise  for  him  to  seek  a  milder 
climate.  At  this  time,  he  was  given  a  certificate  as  to  his  character  and  ability, 
signed  by  many  prominent  men  of  Illinois.  His  colleagues  on  the  faculty  gave 
him  certificates  to  use  in  establishing  him  in  new  surroundings. 

In  1852,  Knapp  moved  his  family  from  Chicago  to  Covington,  Ky.,  where 
he  engaged  in  active  practice. 

In  1855,  he  published  a  book  on  epidemic  cholera  *  and  an  essay  on  cholera 
infantum,"  and  in  1856  a  book  on  nursing  sore  mouth. i" 

In  1857  and  1859,  he  published  what  was  generally  known  as  "Knapp's 
Pathology,"  '  >■  in  two  volumes,  in  which  he  elaborates  a  scorbutic  diathesis  as 
the  explanation  of  almost  all  disease  processes.  He  insisted  on  the  daily  use 
of  fruits  and  fresh  vegetables  in  scorbutic  cases  in  opposition  to  the  general 
use  of  farinaceous  foods.  The  dietetic  innovations,  which  he  advocated,  came 
at  a  time  when  depleting  measures,  such  as  blood-letting,  etc.,  were  falling  into 
disrepute.  The  measures  he  urged  were  accepted  by  many  physicians  through- 
out the  country,  and  were  found  to  be  useful  in  treating  the  sick.  He  antici- 
pated by  two  generations  much  that  is  now  considered  new  in  the  vitamin 
regimen.  Fruit  juices  were  given  to  babies,  and  milk,  ripe  fruits  and  vegetables 
were  urged  as  important  articles  of  diet. 

While  he  was  in  Philadelphia  supervising  the  publication  of  his  last  work, 
he  suffered  severe  pulmonary  hemorrhage,  and  in  1860  went  to  Metamoras, 
Mexico,  hoping  the  warmer  climate  would  be  beneficial  to  his  health.  With 
restored  health,  two  years  later,  he  located  at  Cadereyta,  State  of  Nuevo 
Leon,  Mexico,  and  there  successfully  practiced  medicine  luitil  he  died  of 
pneumonia,  on  his  80th  birthday,  1879,  having  been  in  the  active  practice 
of  medicine  more  than  50  years. i-  His  remains  lie  in  the  Campo  Santo  in 
Cadereyta. 

While  in  Illinois,  Knapp  was  especially  interested  in  general  education,  having 
manifested  special  interest  in  the  State  Common  School  convention,  held  in 
Chicago  in  1846.i'  He  was  popular  as  a  teacher,  and  his  writings  show  that 
he  was  possessed  of  much  literary  ability.     (Portrait  p.  11.) 

GEORGE    WASHINGTON     LEE 

1820-1889 

George  W.  Lee  was  born  Oct.  25,  1820,  at  Spring  Hill,  Fairfax  County, 
Va.  He  was  given  the  name  George  Washington  because  he  was  descended 
from  Ellen  Ball,   a  sister  of  the   mother  of  George  Washington.     About    1838, 

''Knapp.  M.  L. :  Address  Delivered  to  the  Graduating  Class  of  the  Indiana  Medical 
College  at  the   Public   Commencement,    Feb.    18,   1847,    Chicago.    18-47. 

"Knapp,  M.  L.:  An  Address  Delivered  at  the  Opening  of  the  Rock  Island  Medical 
School,   Nov.   7,   1848.  Chicago.   1849. 

'  Lothrop,  Charles,  H. :  Med.  and  Surg.  Directory  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  Lyons,  Iowa, 
1876,    p.    130. 

s  Discovery  of  the  Cause,  Nature,  Cure  and  Prevention  of  Epidemic  Cholera,  Cin- 
cinnati,   1855. 

^  Essav   on   Cholera    Infantum,    Cincinnati.    1855. 

1"  Inquiry  Into  the  Cause  and  Nature  of  Nursing  Sore   Mouth,   Philadelphia.   1856. 

"  Researches  on  Primary  Pathology  and  the  Origin  and  Laws  of  Epidemics,  2  vols., 
Philadelphia,    1858. 

^  College  and  Clinical   Record,   Philadelphia,   1880,   1,   p.   7. 

"  History  of  Chicago,  by  A.  T.  Andreas,   1884,  1,  p.  212. 


73 


-yntu  d.tt*jt.    ,'^<*.i^     J  e.e/£.A^j!L^ 

Lfi  £.  pc.  ■)  U  JiL,.-     tt-vt.    rn--,   *'"i«-   .'/«cV/   y..  /<y^,   ,;<<.mA^, 
/^  />''   ('<^A.  r^  <'^t  A/^<L-    ,tC,.-    /-<^4    «>-,"•-'*.',  A<- 


Zozi^cX^i     Ll^/^i*-  y^-^    /(^****~    ■'^^    ■Uyx'^  *i 

Ct*>-ti     Ob^     iflM   C^-d-t-t-Uy^     £     4^Z^       Jf/--^Ji 


Fig.  26.— Litter  from   Danid   BrainarJ  1.,   luhn    .McLean  regar.ling  the-  itk  . 
Medical  College.  Oct.  10,   1S4.'. 


74 

he  settled  at  Cortland,  N.  Y..  where  he  practiced  medicine.  It  has  not  been 
possible  to  determine  where  he  studied  medicine,  or  whether  he  possessed 
a  degree. 

In  1848-1849,  he  was  prosector  of  anatomy  in  the  Indiana  Medical  College, 
his  home  address  being  Whitewater,  Wis. 

About  1852,  he  located  at  Shullsburg,  Wis.,  where  he  practiced  until  1872. 
He  then  went  to  Milwaukee  for  two  years,  and  about  1875  finally  located  at 
Darlington,  Wis.,  where  he  died  in  1889. 

In  a  personal  letter.  Dr.  W.  W.  Peck  of  Darlington,  Wis.,  said:  "He  was 
a  man  far  ahead  of  the  majority  of  his  fellow  practitioners  in  this  locality." 
Like  many  another  physician,  he  had  the  mining  "craze,"  and  all  his  invest- 
ments in  lead  mines  proved  disastrous,  so  that  he  died  a  poor  man,  although 
he  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice.  He  is  said  to  have  delivered  many  "useful 
and  entertaining  lectures,"  probably  popular,  in  various  parts  of  Wisconsin. 
He  was  a  close  friend  of  General  Grant,  whom  he  entertained  in  his  home 
in   S'liullsburg. 

JOHN     McLEAN 
1814-1879 

John  McLean  was  born  at  Caledonia,  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.,  June  25, 
1814.  His  father,  Daniel  McLean,  was  a  farmer,  and  John  spent  his  early 
years  on  the  farm.  He  attended  the  country  school  during  the  winter,  and  by 
his  own  industry  and  efforts  equipped  himself  for  teaching.  With  the  aid 
of  funds  earned  by  teaching  in  country  schools,  he  prepared  himself  for  his 
chosen  profession.  In  1834-1835,  he  attended  a  course  in  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  of  the  State  of  New  York  at 
Fairfield,  but  does  not  appear  to  have  graduated.  In  1835,  he  received  a  cer- 
tificate from  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Med.  Society,  which  entitled  him  to  practice 
medicine.  In  1837,  he  moved  to  Jackson,  Mich.,  making  the  trip  by  canal,  rail- 
road, and  the  last  50  miles  by  wagon.  He  received  a  certificate  from  Jackson 
Co.  Mich.  Med.  Soc.  in  1839.  He  continued  to  practice  at  Jackson,  Mich., 
up  to  8  years  of  his  death,  which  occurred  March  10,  1879.  In  1845,  a  diploma 
was  given  him  from  Castleman  Medical  College. 

When  Rush  Medical  College  was  organized  in  1843,  he  was  made  professor 
of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics.  This  position  he  held  until  1855,  when  he 
resigned.  He  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  students,  and  when  he  resigned, 
a  resolution  by  the  faculty  bore  testimony  to  "his  high  qualities,  his  uniformly 
kind  and  gentlemanly  deportment,  and  his  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties 
imposed  on  him."  i  In  1844.  he  wrote  on  anemia  for  the  local  medica!  journal.- 
He  was  very  fond  of  chemistry,  and  in  1845  was  appointed  professor  of  chem- 
istry, botany  and  physiology  in  the  Michigan  Central  College.'  In  the  last 
years  of  his  life,  he  busied  himself  with  the  study  of  chemistry.     (Portrait  p.  11.) 

FRANCIS     ASBURY     McNEILL 

1809-1872 

The  combination   of   skill   in   the  practice   of   medicine,   ardor   as   a   religious 

teacher,  and  enthusiasm  in  politics  is  well   exemplified  in  Francis   A.   McNeill, 

born   in   Allegany   County,   Md.,   Jan.    1,    1809.     His   grandfather.    General   John 

McNeill,  served  in  the  American  army  during  the  Revolutionary  War.     Francis 

1  North-Western  Med.  &  Surg.  Jour.,   1855,   12,  p.   341. 
=  111.  Med.  &  Surg.  Journ.,  1844,  1,  p.  76 
=  Ibid.,   1845,  2,  p.  74. 


75 

was  baptized  in  infancy  by  Rev.  Francis  Asbnry,  the  first  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Cliurch  in  America,  and  at  the  a^e  of  20  years  was  riding  a  circuit  as  a 
Methodist  minister.  Because  of  faihn>;  healtli,  he  a1)andoned  preachinjf  and 
entered  on  the  study  of  mc<hcine,  and,  wlien  2S  years  of  at-e,  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Maryland,  Bahimore,  in  1834.  In  the  spring  of  1835,  he 
located  at  Springfield,  111.,  where  he  practiced  medicine  for  12  years.  In  1840. 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  a  State  Medical  Society  at  Springfield.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  at  Springfield,  he  continued  to  preach,  being  ordained  Klder 
by  Bishop  Soule  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  in  1837.  In  1847,  he  removed  to  I'coria 
to  become  pastor  of  the  Methodist  society  in  that  city.  From  there,  he  went 
to  Racine,  Wis.,  and  Mt.  Morris,  111.  He  made  campaign  addresses  throughout 
the  state  of  Illinois  in  support  of  William  Henry  Harrison  in  1840,  and  was 
a  delegate  to  the  convention  which  nominated  Henry  Clay  f<ir  President.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  convention  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society  in  1850,  and  served  on  the  committee  on  arrangements. 
He  attended  the  Blooniington  convention  in  1856,  which  gave  rise  to  the 
Republican  party  in  Illinois.  A  newspaper  which  he  published  in  Ogle  County 
was  among  the  first  to  advocate  the  cause  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  1860-1801, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  at  Springfield,  attending  the  regular 
winter  session  and  the  e.xtra  spring  sessions  when  the  Civil  War  began.  He 
was  appointed  army  surgeon  to  the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteers  by 
Governor  Yates,  Oct.  12,  1861.  After  6  months,  failing  health  compelled  hiin 
to  resign.  The  next  summer,  he  received  a  commission  as  hospital  chaplain 
at  Paducah,  Ky.,  where  he  remained  for  more  than  2  years,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  Louisville.  Here  he  remained  as  chaplain  until  1865,  when  he 
returned  to  Mt.  Morris  and  resumed  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  died  on 
F'eb.  3,  1872,  from  a  paralytic  stroke. 

ICDW.XKI)     .MI-.Al) 
1819-1883 

.■\mong  the  teachers  in  these  early  medical  schools,  Edward  Mead  stands  as 
the  pioneer  student  of  psychiatry  in  this  region  and  as  the  first  to  offer  institu- 
tional care  for  the  insane  in  Illinois.  He  was  born  in  Leeds,  Yorkshire  County, 
I'jigland,  March  21,  1819.  When  12  years  of  age,  his  parents  brought  him  to 
America.  Little  is  known  of  his  early  years.  About  1838,  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  with  Dr.  Robert  Thompson  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  In  1841,  he 
graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and  then  journeyed  to  Kuro|)e  to 
complete  his  education.  On  his  return,  he  located  in  Cinciimati,  and  in  1842, 
he  moved  to  St.  Charles,  111.  Here  he  carried  on  an  extensive  practice  among 
the  settlers.  Almost  at  once  he  began  agitation  for  the  establishment  of  a 
state  hospital  for  the  insane,  and  after  years  of  persistent  endeavor,  backed 
by  his  colleagues  in  Illinois  College,  the  Illinois  State  Hospital  at  Jacksonville 
was  established  in  1847. 

When  a  medical  school  was  organized  at  St.  Charles,  111.,  in  1843,  he  was 
one  of  the  teachers.  In  1844,  he  wrote  a  report  on  medical  education  for  an 
Illinois  school  convention,  and  he  made  a  report  on  medical  education  at  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Convention  at  Springfield,  Dec.  16,  1846.'  In  184.=;-1846 
he  was  professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment   of    Illinois    College.     As    a    delegate    from    this    school,    he    attended    the 

>  Wrslrrn  Lanccl.  1847,  i.  p.  iif,  Wravi-r.  GcorKc-  H.:  E.lw.ir.l  Mr.nl.  M.U.,  ihe  Pioncrr 
Ncuropsychiatrist  of  Illinois,  III  M.-.l.  lo.ir  .  Kil.  ,  W_M.  |.  1  W.  .,n.l  li.il.  Sue.  Mcil.  Hist., 
Chicigo,  1924,  3,  p.  279. 


76 

National  Medical  Convention  in  New  York,  being  the  only  representative  from 
Illinois.  Here  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  a  committee  to  prepare  a  report 
on  preliminary  education  of  students  in  medicine,  and  he  contributed  to  the 
report  of  the  committee  which  was  presented  in  Philadelphia  the  following 
year  when  the  American  Medical  Association  was  organized.  In  1847,  Mead 
opened  a  private  hospital  for  the  insane  in  Chicago,  at  the  time  being  the  only 
hospital  for  the  insane  west  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  The  institution  was  located 
on  20  acres  of  land  2^4  miles  northwest  of  the  business  part  of  the  city.  The 
institution  came  to  an  end  in  1851,  when  the  buildings  were  destroyed  by  fire. 
During  its  existence,  treatment  was  given  to  139  patients,  nearly  half  of  whom 
were  cured.  After  the  loss  of  his  institution  by  fire,  he  accepted  the  chair 
of  obstetrics  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  lecturing 
also  on  his  favorite  topics,  mental  diseases  and  medical  jurisprudence.  In 
1853,  he  founded  the  American  Psychological  Journal,  which  was  published 
for  one  year. 

Unable  to  subscribe  to  the  methods  followed  in  conducting  the  medical 
school,  he  resigned  after  2  years.  He  then  founded  the  Cincinnati  Retreat  for 
the  Insane,  which  he  conducted  until  1869,  when  he  moved  to  Boston.  From 
1872  until  his  death,  he  conducted  private  hospitals  for  insane  in  Winchester 
and  Ro.xbury,  Mass.,  near  Boston. 

In  1883,  while  on  a  trip  for  his  health,  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed  was 
wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Pico  in  the  Azores,  and  he  was  drowned.  (  Portrait 
p.  69.) 

DANIEL     MEEKER 
1806-1876 

Daniel  Meeker  was  the  originator  of  the  LaPorte  school  and  the  leader  in 
the  faculty.  He  was  born  in  Schoharie  Co.,  New  York.,  Dec.  17,  1806;  attended 
his  first  course  of  lectures  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y. ;  graduated  at  the  close  of  his 
second  year  at  Willoughby,  Ohio,  and  located  at  LaPorte  in  1835.  "He  was 
a  man  of  iron  will,  great  physical  endurance,  and  withal  a  firm  believer  in 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  just  the  man  to  start  successfully  a  medical  college 
in  a  small  town.  'Old  Death,'  as  the  students  familiarly  called  him,  never 
failed  to  keep  the  dissecting  room  abundantly  supplied  with   fresh   subjects."  i 

In  1844,  he  was  a  candidate  for  a  professorship  in  Rush  Medical  College,  but 
failed  to  receive  it.  About  this  time,  he  published  a  very  good  description  of 
epidemic  erysipelas  as  it  occurred  in  LaPorte. - 

Dr.  Meeker  was  president  of  the  Indiana  State  Medical  society  in  1857.  To 
the  Transactions  in  1857,  1858  and  1859  he  contributed  three  articles  on  "Frac- 
tures and  False  Joints."  In  the  Civil  War,  he  was  surgeon  of  the  Ninth 
Indiana  Volunteers  (3  months),  and  later,  for  a  short  time,  was  surgeon  of 
the  same  in  the  3  years'  service.-' 

After  the  LaPorte  school  was  discontinued,  he  gave  a  course  on  anatomy  at 
Indianapolis  and  5  courses  at  Keokuk,  Iowa.  He  was  a  thorough  anatomist  and 
a  bold,  successful  operator  in  surgery.     (Portrait  p.  53.) 

1  Higday,  T.:    Tr.   Ind.  State  Med.   Soc,  1874,  p.  24. 
=  111.  Med.  &  Surg.  Jour..   1844,  1,  p.   17. 

2  Kemper,  G.  W.  H.:    Medical  History  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  Chicago,  1911,  p.  310. 

JOHN     BARTON     NILES 

1808-1879 

J.    B.    Niles    was   born    at   West    Fairlee,    Vt.,    Sept.    17,    1808.     In    1830,    he 

received   the   degree   of   B.A.    from    Dartmouth    College.     He  probably   received 

no  medical  degree.     He  practiced  law  at  LaPorte,   Ind.     In  1843,  he  was  judge 


Fig.    27.— McmlKT- 
Van    Zand!    Blancy.    ( .1  i 
N.   Filch. 


Mc.lical    CiillrKr:    111    Uaiiirl    Krain.ird.     IJI    Jam 
I    Musts    L.    Kiiapp,    I3l    Austin    Flint.    I6j    Cralia 


78 

of  the  circuit  court  of  Indiana ;  in  1850.  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Constitutional 
Convention.  During  the  life  of  the  Indiana  Medical  College,  he  was  professor 
of  chemistry.  He  is  said  to  have  been  »  most  fluent  and  scholarly  lecturer. 
(Portrait  p.  53.) 

DAVID     PRINCE 
1816-1889 

Before  1640,  the  remote  ancestor  of  David  Prince,  had  left  his  native  Eng- 
land and  settled  at  Salem,  Mass.  This  was  Robert  Prince.  Four  generations 
later,  David  Prince  was  born  in  1791,  and  his  oldest  child  was  David,  the 
subject  of  our  sketch,  who  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  Conn.,  June  21,  1816.  David 
and  Sophia  Ellsworth  Prince,  the  parents  of  David,  were  of  limited  means, 
and  in  the  hope  of  bettering  their  conditions,  moved  to  Central  New  York, 
near  Canandaigua,  where  they  entered  a  piece  of  land  on  which  they  lived 
until  David  was  grown.  They  then  moved  to  Payson,  III.,  but  David  remained 
behind  to  complete  his  education  in  Canandaigua  .'\cademy,  where  he  lived  most 
frugally.  While  here,  he  made  botany  a  delightful  pastime  while  he  prepared 
a  large  herbarium.  In  1836-1837,  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  of  New  York  at  Fairfield. 
Here  Reuben  D.  Mussey  was  professor  of  surgery  and  midwifery.  The  next 
year,  Mussey  went  to  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  at  Cincinnati.  Y'oung 
Prince  probably  already  had  developed  his  leaning  toward  surgery,  and  naturally 
followed  his  teacher  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  graduated  from  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  in  1839.  -\fter  assisting  Mussey  for  a  year  and  a  half,  he  came  to 
Payson,  111.  The  next  few  years,  he  spent  between  Payson  and  Quincy, 
acquiring  a  reputation  as  a  surgeon.  Here  he  successfull.v  operated  for  ovarian 
tumor.  In  1843,  an  opportunity  to  gratify  his  desire  to  teach  occurred  when 
he  was  made  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  newly  organized  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville,  where  he  taught  anatomy  and  surgery 
for  5  years.  During  his  residence  at  Jacksonville,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  advocates  for  the  establishment  of  a  state  institution  for  the  insane. 

When  the  Medical  Department  of  Illinois  College  was  discontinued  in  1848, 
he  moved  to  St.  Louis,  accepting  the  professorship  in  surgery  in  the  St.  Louis 
Medical  College.  In  1852,  he  returned  to  Jacksonville,  and  soon  established  him- 
self in  the  practice  of  surgery.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  Civil  War,  for 
14  months,  he  was  a  brigade  surgeon  in  Grave's  brigade.  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
When  soldiers  of  his  brigade  were  captured  and  sent  to  Libby  prison,  he 
voluntarily  gave  himself  up  and  went  along  with  them  in  order  to  attend  them. 
After  the  war,  he  was  employed  by  the  sanitary  commission  for  several  months 
to  assist  in  preparing  a  history  of  the  conflict.  Then  he  returned  to  Jackson- 
ville, and  in  1867  established  a  private  hospital,  known  as  "The  Infirmary" 
(later,  "The  Sanitarium").  His  book  on  orthopedics,  published  in  1866,  secured 
a  wide  circulation  and  was  a  standard  textbook  of  the  time.  About  this  time, 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Morgan  County  Medical  Society,  and  was 
one  of  its  most  active  members.  He  was  active  in  the  organization  of  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  and  for  50  years  was  one  of  its  most  active 
members,  and  served  as  its  president.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  .Association,  being  its  vice  president  in  1863,  and  11  times  served 
as  a  delegate  to  the  meetings.  .  He  also  took  an  active  part  in  the  American 
Surgical  Association  and  the  American  Public  Health  .Association.  He  attended 
international  medical  congresses  in  1881  and  1884. 

His  surgical  activities  extended  over  a  wide  field,  but  his  special  interest 
seems  to  have  been  in  orthopedics.     He  prepared  several  extensive  reports  on 


79 

orthopedic  surgery  for  the  Illinois  Slate  Medical  Society,  lii  conji;iic:ioii  with 
Dr.  G.  v.  Black,  he  devised  a  set  of  instruments  for  operations  on  cleft  palate. 
He  was  quite  along  in  years  when  the  modern  antiseptic  surgery  was  established, 
but  he  accepted  and  practiced  it.  Aside  from  his  teaching  in  medical  schools. 
Prince  acted  as  preceptor  to  numerous  students.  He  always  had  one  or  more, 
and  not  infrequently  there  were  several  about  his  oftice.  He  devoted  much  time 
to  their  instruction,  and  so  far  as  known  never  accepted  any  pay  from  them. 
He  had  a  private  dissecting  room  and  plenty  of  material.  It  was  hidden  away 
in  the  second  story  of  his  barn  and  pr,.vided  with  many  conveniences  and 
devises  for  receiving  and  preserving  anatomical  material.  He  believed  that 
anatomy  was  the  fundamental  branch  of  medicine,  and  himself  practiced  dissec- 
tions as  long  as  he  lived.  He  liied  in  Jacksonville  from  pneumonia,  Dec. 
19,  1889.     (Portrait  p.  69.) 

RsrEiENCES: 

Tr.  III.  Stale  Med.  Soc,  1890.  p.  26. 

Atkinson.  \Vm.   B.:    The  Physicians  of  the  L'nited  States,  Philadelphia,  1878,  p.  638. 
Ktrlly  and   Burrage:    American    Medical   Biographies,  Baltimore,   I9J0,  p.  943. 
Unpublished    paper    ..n    David    Prince   prcpare<l    by   Carl    E.    Black    for   the    Fiftieth    Anni- 
versary of  the  Morgsi  County   Medical  Society.  Dec.  20,   1917. 

GEORGE     \V.     RICH.XRDS 
1800-1853 

Among  the  early  medical  teachers  in  the  Middle  West,  George  W.  Richards 
stands  out  as  one  of  the  most  forceful  characters,  and  he  was  probably  second 
in  influence  only  to  Daniel  Brainard.  His  skill  and  enthusiasm  as  a  teacher 
brought  to  him  numerous  students,  and  this  with  his  organizing  and  executive 
ability  caused  him  to  be  sought  by  medical  schools.  About  all  wc  know  of  him 
before  he  studied  medicine  is  that  he  was  born  in  1800  at  Norfolk,  Conn.' 
Nothing  has  been  learned  of  his  parentage  or  early  education.  He  graduated 
in  1828  from  the  College  of  Pliysicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District 
of  New  York  at  Fairfield.-  The  next  year,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Onon- 
dago  County,  N.  Y.,  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  vice  president  in  1835. 
and  president  in  1836.  During  this  time,  his  address  is  given  as  Camillus, 
N.  Y.  At  a  meeting  of  this  society,  in  1835,  he  "reported  a  case  of  wound 
of  the  heart  of  a  child  with  a  small  knife  producing  death  in  10  minutes,  the 
child  having,  tn  appearance,  been  well  most  of  the  time."  ■  Just  when  he  came 
west  is  uncertain,  but  he  located  in  St.  Oiarles,  III.,  about  18-11.  W.  G.  Todd,'' 
who  was  a  student  at  the  first  session  of  Rush  Medical  College  in  1843-1844, 
says :  "About  1839  Dr.  George  W.  Richards  came  to  St.  Charles  from  Lock- 
port,  111.,  bringing  with  him  a  subject,  a  man  who  had  been  killed  on  the  canal. 
He  sent  an  invitation  to  all  the  students  around  to  make  him  a  visit.  1  came 
with  the  rest.  He  was  a  splendid  teacher  and  after  listening  to  his  first  lecture, 
1  decided  at  once  to  be  one  of  his  students."  For  many  years,  he  was  the  lead- 
ing physician  in  and  about  St.  Charles. 

In  1842,  he  organized  a  medical  school  at  St.  Charles.  The  reputation  of 
Richards  and  his  associates  and  the  number  of  their  students  led  to  his  being 
placed  on  the  faculty  of  the  LaPorte  Medical  College  as  head  of  anatomy  in 
1844-1845,  and  as  professor  of  theory  and  practice  in  1845-1847.''  In  the  catalog 
of  the  LaPorte  school   for  1846-1847,  he  appears  as  preceptor  for  13  students. 

•Dubuque    (I.iwa)    Daily    Herald.   .April    23,    1853. 

*  Catalog  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Western  District  of  N.  V.  for 
1839-1840. 

'Centennial  Meeting  of  the  Onondago  Medical  Society,  Syracuse,  1907,  pp.  41,  156 
and  157. 

•Bull.  Alumni  Assn.   Rush  Med.  College,  Chicago,  1911.  7,  No.  3.  p.   1. 

'Kemper.  G.   W.  H.:     Medical   History  of  the  State  of  Indiana.  Chicago,    1911,  p.   53. 


80 

In  1848,  he  was  active  in  organizing  the  Rock  Island  Medical  School,  taking 
with  him  M.  L.  Knapp  from  the  LaPorte  School.  He  was  professor  of  theory 
and  practice  of  medicine  and  president  of  the  faculty.  In  his  address  at  the 
opening  of  the  Rock  Island  school,  M.  L.  Knapp,  speaking  of  Professor  Richards, 
said:  "His  office  of  late  years,  especially  since  he  commenced  pubhc  teaching, 
has  been  thronged  with  students,  ranging  from  20  to  40  in  number,  who  have 
received  daily  instructions  and  examinations  in  the  various  branches  of  the 
medical  sciences." 

In  the  spring  of  1849,  he  was  suspected  of  having  in  his  office  the  body  of 
a  young  woman  which  had  been  removed  from  a  recent  grave  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. Having  given  assurance  that  the  body  was  not  in  the  building,  he  resisted 
the  efforts  of  a  mob  to  search  the  house,  and  a  bullet,  fired  by  a  member  of 
the  mob.  passed  through  his  shoulder,  and  caused  such  injury  to  the  nerves 
that  his  right  arm  was  permanently  paralyzed.  (See  Figs.  Zi,  p.  61.  and  24, 
p.  65.) 

When  the  medical  school  at  Rock  Island  was  moved  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  in 
1849,  Richards  remained  on  the  faculty  as  dean  and  professor  of  theory  and 
practice  of  medicine,  and  when  later,  in  1850,  the  school  again  moved,  locat- 
ing now  in  Keokuk.  Iowa,  he  continued  to  occupy  the  same  chair. 

When  Nichols  Hard,  of  the  Keokuk  faculty  died  in  1851,  Richards  and 
Armor  left  the  school  because  they  could  not  endure  the  friction  which  arose 
among  the  faculty  over  the  appointment  of  a  successor."  Richards  then  located 
in  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Here  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the 
North-Western  Medical  Society,  and  was  elected  its  first  president.  Jan.  11. 
1853.^  He  enjoyed  this  honor  but  a  short  time,  dying  in  Dubuque.  April  22. 
1853,  of  prenumonia,  aged  S3  years. 

After  the  loss  of  the  use  of  his  right  arm  in  1849.  Richards  learned  to  write 
well  with  his  left  hand,  but  he  was  restricted  in  his  ability  to  practice  medicine, 
and  the  experience  seems  to  have  left  permanent  effects  on  the  man.  This 
appears  in  the  affecting  letter,  written  in  1850  to  one  of  his  earlier  students. 
Dr.  George  A.  Bunker,  in  which  he  appeals  to  his  "boys"  for  financial  aid. 
(See  Fig.  4,  p.  11,  written  before  and  Figs.  5.  p.  15.  and  10.  p.  28,  written  after 
the  injury. ) 

This  fragmentary  information  is  all  we  have  been  able  to  find  regarding 
G.  W.  Richards,  but  it  is  enough  to  convince  us  that  he  was  no  ordinary 
man,  and  that  he  was  naturally  a  teacher  able  to  attract  and  hold  young  men. 
No  intimation  has  been  uncovered  which  even  suggests  that  he  was  not  a  man 
of  the  highest  honor  and  of  the  best  ideals  for  his  profession.  In  the  group 
of  men  who  taught  medicine  in  the  district  west  of  Chicago,  he  was  the  lead- 
ing character.     (Portrait  p.  53.) 

GUSTAVUS     ADOLPHUS     ROSE 
1788-1860 
G.  A.  Rose  was  born  at  Geddes.  Amberst  Co..  Va..  March  13,  1788.     Nothing 
has  been  learned  as  to  his  medical  education.     For  many  years,  he  was  a  success- 
ful physician  of  Lynchburg,  Va.,  and  in  1835  moved  to  LaPorte.  Ind. 

JOHN     F.     SANFORD 

1823-1874 

John   F.   Sanford   was   born    in   Chillicothe,   Ohio.   April    13.   1824.     When    14 

years   old,   he   began   the   study  of   medicine   with   Dr.  J.   S.   Prettyman,   and  in 

1839   attended    lectures    at   the    Medical    Department    of    Cincinnati    College,    in 

which   Daniel   Drake  was  a  prominent  teacher. 

»  Keables.   B.   F.:    The  Chieftain,   Keokul<,   1907. 

'  North-Western  Med.  &  Surg.  Jour.,  1853,  10,  p.  142. 


81 


\\  .     |l:ivisMii,     (III     .|.-M.,li     II. 


82 

Being  too  young  to  graduate,  San  ford  went  to  Farmington,  la.,  in  1841, 
and  began  the  practice  of  medicine.  In  1846,  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate. 
In  1847,  he  attended  lectures  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Medicines.  We 
have  been  unable  to  determine  whether  he  ever  received  a  degree. 

In  1848,  he  became  professor  of  midwifery  in  the  Rock  Island  Medical 
School  and  the  following  year  was  professor  of  surgery  in  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  upper  Mississippi  at  Davenport,  la.  As  a 
delegate  from  this  school,  he  attended  the  second  annual  meeting  of  the 
American  Medical  Association  in  Boston,  in  1849.  On  his  return,  he  began  an 
agitation  looking  to  the  organization  of  a  state  medical  society  in  Iowa.  His 
personal  eflforts  were  largely  responsible  for  the  gathering  of  twenty-five  physi- 
cians at  a  convention  over  which  he  presided  and  during  which,  on  June  19, 
1850,  the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society  was  organized. 

In  1850,  through  his  influence  as  a  member  of  the  state  senate,  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Davenport  became  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  State  University  of  Iowa,  and  he  moved  with  the  school  to  Keokuk,  la. 

In  1850,  at  Keokuk  he  established  "The  Medico-Chirurgical  Journal,"  in 
which  Samuel  G.  Armor  was  joint  editor.  This  was  the  first  medical  journal 
published  west  of   the   Mississippi   river. 

John  F.  Sanford  was  an  e-xcellent  teacher  and  a  skilled  surgeon,  and  did 
much  for  the  profession  of  medicine  in  the  early  purind  in  Iowa.  (Portrait 
p.  83. ) 


Jour,  of  the   Iowa   State   Med.   Sot.,    1920,   10,  p.   347. 

Jenkins,  Geo.  F.:    Iowa  Med.  Jour.,   1909,  15,  No.  11;  Iowa  Med.  Jour.   1908.   1-t,  p.   392. 

Personal  communication  from  Dr.  Frank  M.  Fuller,  Keokuk,  la. 

AZARIAH  B.  SHIPMAN 
1803-1868 
Azariah  B.  Shipman  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  March 
22,  1803.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  five  brothers,  all  of  whom  became  success- 
ful physicians.  When  Azariah  was  quite  young  his  father  removed  to  Pitcher, 
Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  followed  his  profession  as  a  farmer.  Work- 
ing on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and  attending  a  district  school  in  the  winter, 
young  Shipman  reached  the  age  of  17,  when  his  father  died.  He  continued  to 
work  on  the  farm  during  summers,  and  in  the  winter  taught  school.  In  1822, 
he  began  to  study  medicine  with  his  eldest  brother,  and  in  1852-1856  attended 
a  course  of  lectures  at  Castleton  Medical  College.  Obtaining  a  license  from 
the  County  Medical  Society,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Delphi, 
N.  Y.  In  1828,  he  married  Miss  Emily  Clark,  and  the  next  year  moved  to 
Fayetteville.  In  1832-1833,  he  attended  lectures  in  Philadelphia,  at  tlie  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  Jefferson  Medical  College,  and  then  located  in  Cortland. 
N.  Y.  In  1835,  he  received  a  medical  degree  from  Castleton  Medical  College. 
In  1844,  because  of  his  reputation  as  a  surgeon  and  his  frequent  contributions 
to  medical  literature,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  Medical 
Department  of  LaPorte  University,  LaPorte,  Ind.,  and  the  following  year  was 
transferred  to  the  chair  of  surgery.  In  1844,  he  was  given  a  medical  degree 
from  Jefferson  Medical  College.  He  held  the  position  in  the  Indiana  Medical 
College  until  it  went  out  of  existence  in  1849.  This  same  year,  he  sought  a 
wider  field  for  his  special  work  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  Early  in  the  Civil  War, 
he  became  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Seventeenth  Regiment  of  the  New  York  Vol- 
unteers. In  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigade  surgeon,  and  placed 
in   charge    of   a    large    hospital    at    Newport    News.     In    1863,    he    resigned   and 


83 


l..hli    K.    S^.IM    r.l,    (.11    S.imn.l    I,.    Ailii.,r,    i4i    Oii.hru^    Kv.rl^.    i5i    A.    S.    Ilu,l.,,i 


84 

returned  to  Syracuse.  Afterward  he  served  as  reserve  surgeon  until  compelled  to 
resign  because  of  failing  health.  Three  years  of  service  with  its  privations, 
work  and  an.xiety  so  undermined  his  health  that  he  never  again  was  well.  In 
1868,  he  went  to  Europe  hoping  to  regain  his  health,  but  he  died  in  Paris  on 
September  15. 

Azariah  B.  Shipman  was  an  excellent  surgeon,  serving  a  large  territory 
for  many  years.  As  a  teacher,  he  was  concise  and  practical.  His  education 
and  success  depended  entirely  on  his  own  efforts.  In  1831,  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Onondaga   Medical   Society,  and  in   18.S6  he  served  as   its  president. 

At  the  National  Medical  Convention  held  in  New  York,  May,  1846,  he 
attended  as  a  delegate  for  La  Porte  University.  He  was  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  and  was  four  times  a  dele- 
gate to  the  American  Medical  Association. 

At  Indiana  Medical  College,  in  1847-1848,  his  introductory  address  was  a 
scholarly  essay,  full  of  historical  references  and  good  advice  to  his  students. 
It  indicates  that  he  was  a  wide  reader,  and  a  clear  thinker.  It  might  be  read 
with  profit  by  the  medical  student  of  today. 

References; 
Jewett,  H.   O. :    Tr.   of   the   Med.   Soc.   of  the  State  of  New  York,   Albany,   1869.   p.   247. 
Centennial   Meeting  of  the   Onondaga   Med.   Society.   Syracuse,    1907,   pp.    156,   162. 
Kelly,    Howard    A.,    and    Burrage,    Walter    L. :     American    Med.    Biographies,    Baltimore, 
1920,  p.    1045. 

THOMAS     SPENCER 
1793-1857 

Coming  to  Chicago  when  his  most  active  years  were  over,  Thomas  Spencer 
never  made  much  impression  on  local  medical  education.  He  was  born  in 
Barrington,  Mass..  Oct.  22,  1793.  Most  of  his  early  education  was  obtained  at 
home  in  a  log  cabin :  he  was  taught  arithmetic  by  his  brother.  For  3  months 
he  went  to  school  to  learn  English  grammar.  Before  he  was  15  years  old,  he 
was  teaching  school.  When  19  years  old,  his  older  brother  taught  him  survey- 
ing. By  surveying  and  by  teaching  school  he  earned  the  fees  for  his  medical 
course.  In  1816,  he  received  a  license  to  practice  from  the  Medical  Society 
of  Herkimer  County.  N.  Y.,  and  began  to  practice  in  Lenox. 

In  1820.  he  attended  a  second  course  of  lectures  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  the  Western  District  of  New  York,  at  Fairfield,  and  received 
his  degree  in  1820.  In  1824,  he  was  elected  to  the  New  York  Assembly.  In 
1832,  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  While 
here,  he  wrote  an  article  on  cholera,  which  was  epidemic  for  the  first  time  on 
the  western  continent.  This  work  was  his  presidential  address  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York.i  It  comprises  131 
pages  and  is  a  comprehensive  discussion  of  the  disease,  founded  on  his  personal 
observations. 

In  1833  and  again  in  1834,  lie  was  president  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the 
State  of  New  York. 

He  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  establishment  of  Geneva  Medical 
College  in  1835.  in  which  he  was  professor  of  theory  and  practice  of  physic 
for  IS  years.  While  here,  in  1844-1845.  he  delivered  several  lectures  on  animal 
heat,  which  were  later  published  in  book  form  and  were  favorably  received  at 
home  and  abroad. 

^Spencer,  Thomas:  An  Essay  on  the  Nature  of  the  Epidemic  Usually  Called  Asiatic 
Cholera,  etc.,  Albany,  1833.  Biographical  Memoir  of  Thomas  Spencer  by  Sylvester  D. 
Willard,  Albany.  1858.  Mercer,  Alfred:  Alumni  Address,  College  of  Medicine  of  Syracuse 
University,  June  14.   18S3. 


85 

In  18.>()  Ik-  made  a  trip  to  KiirDpe.  stiidyinK  and  otisiTviiii^  in  Paris,  London, 
EdinburKh  and  othor  cities. 

In  1847,  when  the  Mexican  War  l)roke  out.  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the 
Tenth  Regiment  of  Xew  York  and  New  Jersey  \'oUniteers.  He  served  nearly 
a  year  and  a  half,  and  organized  a  hospital  at  Metamoras. 

In  1849,  he  became  professor  of  principals  and  practice  of  medicine  in  Rush 
Medical  College,  but  after  delivering  one  course  of  lectures  was  obliged  to 
resign  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  was  made  emeritus  professor,  which  was 
continued  until  his  death.  In  1852,  he  accepted  a  professorship  in  the  Philadel- 
phia College  of  Medicine  and  removed  to  that  city,  where  he  died.  May  30,  1857. 

He  was  a  serious  man  with  an  indomitable  spirit  for  work,  and  always  a 
Student.  He  was  a  clear  thinker  and  able  writer.  ".As  a  teacher  be  was 
unostentatious  and  patient,  his  instructions  were  simple  and  practical."  (Por- 
trait p.  81.1 

DANIEL     STAHL 
1807-1874 

One  of  the  most  interesting  characters  met  among  these  early  teachers  of 
medicine  in  Illinois  is  Daniel  Stahl.  His  sterling  personal  qualities  and  charm 
combined  to  make  him  a  good  teacher,  a  splendid  practitioner  and  consultant, 
and  an  efficient  medical  officer. 

He  was  born  in  Gilserberg.  Germany,  July  12,  1807,  he  was  educated  in  Ger- 
many and  attended  the  Universities  of  Munich  and  Vienna  in  1828  and  1829. 
In  1832-1833,  he  attended  the  University  of  Marburg,  wlierc  he  was  a  fellow- 
student  of  Pclissier.  In  1833  or  1834.  he  came  to  .America.  He  first  went  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  continued  his  studies  of  medicine  and  the  English 
language.  He  received  a  medical  degree  in  1844  from  Western  Reserve  College. 
Hudson.  Ohio.'  By  1835.  Stahl  had  settled  in  V'incennes,  Ind.,  and  in  March 
of  that  year  he  became  a  member  of  the  Vincennes  Medical  Society.-  While 
in  Vincennes.  he  married  Therese  DeHoule,  whose  grandfather  came  from 
France  with  LaFayette.  Here  also  he  lectured  on  anatomy  and  physiology  at 
St.  Gabriel  College.  He  remained  here  until  about  1841,  when  he  located  in 
Quincy.  III. 

When  the  Medical  Department  of  Illinois  College  was  organized,  he  became 
professor  of  theory  and  practice  of  medicine.^  Here  he  gave  two  lectures  daily 
and  appears  to  have  been  a  popular  teacher,  several  of  the  professors  attending 
his  lectures  regularly.  Aiter  one  year,  he  discontinued  his  lectures,  probably 
because  he  could  not  afford  to  leave  his  family  and  practice  to  give  lectures 
with  little  remuneration. 

In  the  cholera  epidemic  of  1849,  his  wife  was  one  of  the  first  victims  in 
Quincy. 

About  this  time  he  published  several  medical  articles.  In  one,  entitled  "Sul- 
phate of  Quinine  in  the  Congestive  Modifications  of  Scarlet  Fever  and  Measles."* 
he  introduces  his  subject  in  this  manner:  "In  medicine  we  want  no  idle  words, 
nor  talk  for  talking's  sake ;  we  want  facts,  true  observations,  and  laws  and 
principles   deducted    from    them."     In   other   articles    he    published    translations 

'  Notc«  frnm  journal  and  letters  of  Daniel  Stahl.  prepared  by  his  granddaughter,  Ida 
Irwin    Small   (Mrs.   Arthur  .\twell  Smalt),  personal  communication. 

•  Secrctar>'s  Notes  of  V^inccnncs  Medical  >cciety,  personal  communication  from  D.  H. 
Richards.   .M.   D. 

•Black,  rarl  E. :  Illinois  College  Medical  School,  Bull.  Soc.  Med.  Hist,  of  Chicago. 
1913.  1.  p.  1/1. 

•  III.    and    Ind.    Med.   &   Surg.   Jour.,    1846,   3.   p.    193. 


86 

from  German  of  articles  on  pyelophlebitis  and  transposition  of  the  viscera.'' 
Two  years  later,  he  wrote  on  the  "Sectional  Teaching  of  Medicine."  ''  In  this 
scholarly  production,  he  maintained  that  the  symptoms,  etiology,  course,  and 
treatment  of  western  diseases  were  best  taught  by  western  physicians,  schools 
and  hospitals.  He  was  a  member  of  the  medical  convention  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  in  1850,  and  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  practical  medicine.  The  same  year  he  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  first  officers  of  the  Adams  County  Medical  Society.  He  was  depended  on 
by  the  other  physicians  in  his  region  in  surgical  cases. 

In  1857.  he  retired  from  practice,  went  to  Europe,  where  he  put  his  children 
in  Swiss  schools,  and  visited  the  medical  clinics  of  France  and  Germany.  Owing 
to  the  financial  panic  later  in  the  year,  which  affected  his  finances  unfavorably, 
he  returned  to  Quincy  and  resumed  practice. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War,  Stahl  entered  the  national  service.  May 
1,  1861.  For  5  years,  he  served  as  surgeon  in  various  commands,  and  was  then 
brevetted  a  lieutenant  colonel  and  retired. 

On  account  of  his  health,  he  spent  the  last  4  years  of  liis  life  in  Paris, 
London,  Dresden,  Heidelberg  and  Baden-Baden.  Here  he  occupied  himself  with 
study  and  attendance  on  lectures.  Before  his  plans  to  return  to  America  were 
realized,  he  died  in  Baden-Baden,  Oct.  26,  1874. 

His  last  instructions  to  his  children  were :  "The  period  during  which  I 
served  in  the  army  of  the  United  States  being  the  proudest  of  my  life,  I  wish 
to  preserve  as  heirlooms  in  the  family  my  commissions  and  my  sash. 

"Put  a  plain  white  marble  slab  on  my  grave  with  the  inscription  ; 

Daniel  Stahl,  M.D. 

Late  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel 

and  Surgeon,  U.  S.  V." 

He  was  buried  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Cemetery  in  Baden-Baden. 

Stahl  read  and  spoke  fluently  English,  French  and  German.  He  was  a  real 
patriot,  devoted  to  his  familv,  generous,  and  had  a  host  of  friends.  (Portrait 
p.  69.) 

JOHN     TAYLOR    TEMPLE 
1803-1877 

J.  T.  Temple  w-as  born.  May  5,  1803,  on  a  plantation  in  King  William  County, 
Va.  He  was  educated  in  various  boarding  schools,  then  pursued  his  studies  in 
Union  College  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  He  studied  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr. 
George  McClellan  of  Philadelphia  for  3  years,  attending  lectures  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania.  In  1824,  he  received  a  medical  degree  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Maryland. 

Marrying  soon  after  his  graduation,  he  returned  to  his  farm  in  Hanover 
County,  Va.,  acting  as  physician  to  the  County  Alms  House.  After  2  years, 
he  located  for  a  time  in  Philadelphia,  then  went  to  Washington,  where  he  was 
employed  in  the  patent  office.  Failing  health  compelled  him  to  seek  outdoor 
life,  and  through  the  aid  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,  he  secured  a  contract  to  carry 
mail  from  Chicago  to  Fort  Howard  on  Green  Bay.  This  brought  him  to 
Chicago  in  1833.  In  1834,  under  contract  to  carry  mail  from  Chicago  to  Peoria, 
he  established  a  line  of  four-horse  coaches  from  Chicago  to  Peoria.  He  became 
a  member  of  tlie  first  board  of  health  of  Chicago  in  1835.     In  1836,  in  associa- 

E  North-western  Merl.   &  Surg.  Jour.,   1948,   5,  pp.    1  and   :14. 
"Ibid.,   1850,  6.  p.   111. 


87 


Fig.   30.— Dr.   .Nichuls   Hard. 


88 

tion  with  Dr.  Boone,  he  excavated  2  sections  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 
In  1842,  he  became  a  convert  to  homeopathy  and  moved  to  Galena,  111.,  and 
soon  to  St.  Louis.  Here  he  was  the  only  homeopathic  physician.  In  1857,  he 
founded  the  Homeopathic  Medical  College  of  Missouri,  holding  the  position  of 
dean.  Until  his  death  he  was  prominently  identified  with  national  homeopathic 
medical  societies  and  journals. 

References: 

Cleave's  Biographical  Cyclopaedia  of  Homoeopathic  Physician.s  and  Surgeons,  Philadelphia, 
1873.   p.   37. 

Histoiy  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in     Chicago,  1922,  p.  29. 

HENRY     WING 

1821-1871 

Horace  Benjamin  and  Mary  Perkins  Wing,  the  parents  of  Henry  Wing, 
came  from  Woodstock,  Vt.,  to  Troy,  Mo.,  in  1819,  and  here  Henry  was  born 
.\pril  6,  1821.  He  was  prepared  for  college  in  Lincoln  .'Academy,  Troy,  and  two 
winters  taught  in  country  schools.  From  Illinois  College,  he  received  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1844.  and  in  1846  the  degrees  of  Master  of  Arts  and 
Doctor  of  Medicine.  He  located  in  Collinsville,  where  he  married  Marie 
Catherine  Collins.  Here  he  lived  and  practiced  his  profession,  except  during 
1863  and  1864,  until  his  death.  Soon  after  his  graduation  from  the  medical 
department  of  Illinois  College,  he  was  selected  by  his  alma  mater  to  fill  the 
chair  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics,  which  he  did  acceptably  during 
1847-1848. 

In  1861,  he  was  commissioned  by  Richard  Yates,  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Medical  E.xaminers  of  the  State  of  Illinois  under  general  orders  from  the 
War  Department,  receiving  the  rank  of  major.  During  his  service  on  this 
board,  his  ability  was  recognized  by  the  members  connected  with  the  medical 
department  of  Lind  University,  and  he  was  invited  to  join  the  faculty  of  that 
school.  In  the  medical  department  of  Lind  Universit}',  which  later  became 
Chicago  Medical  College,  he  served  as  professor  of  general  pathologj'  and  public 
hygiene  from  1863  to  1865,  and  as  professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics 
from  1865  to  1866.  During  most  of  this  time,  he  continued  to  practice  at 
Collinsville,  coming  to  Chicago  during  the  time  his  lectures  were  given.  His 
health  had  never  been  vigorous,  and  following  the  death  of  his  wife,  in 
1864,  he  was  forced  to  relinquish  his  teaching  position  in  Chicago.  In  1868, 
he  accompanied  as  botanist,  the  exploring  expedition  of  Major  J.  W.  Powell 
to  the  mountains  of  Colorado.  Some  improvement  in  his  health  followed,  but 
this  was  followed  bv  a  period  of  ill  health  ending  in  his  death  at  Collinsville 
on  Feb.  18,  1871. 

For  several  years,  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Illinois  Normal  School.  He 
took  an  active  interest  in  the  local  schools  at  Collinsville,  being  repeatedly 
elected  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  devised  a  series  of  boxes  and  blocks 
to  aid  in  demonstrating  the  decimal  system  to  children. 

He  was  known  as  the  best  physician  in  Collinsville,  and  had  a  wide  consulta- 
tion practice  there  and  in  the  surrounding  towns.  Of  him,  Samuel  Willard 
wrote:  "His  gentle,  noble,  useful  life  ended  Iiefore  he  was  fifty  years  old." 
(Portrait  p.  69.) 

References: 

Hollister.  Tohn  H. :  Biographical  Sketches  of  some  of  the  Early  Physicians  of  Illinois; 
Tr.  111.   State  Historical  Society.  Springfield,    1908.   p.    189. 

Black,  Carl  E.:  Illinois  College  Medical  School,  Bull.  Soc.  Med.  Hist,  of  Chicago, 
1913.  I,  p.   171. 

Notes  from  daughter. 


89 

I.KTTKKS      WRITTEN      OR      Rl-XEIVED      HV      M  l.M  I'.I.KS 

OF     THE     FACULTIES     OF     THE     I'loXEER 

SCHOOLS     ANT)     Tlli:ik     I'LTILS 

The  Society  of  Medical  History  of  Chicago  possesses  the  original  McLean, 
Kiiapp  and  Stahl  letters,  having  received  them  from  Dr.  Frank  Mclean,  son  of 
Dr.  John  McLean,  of  Jackson.  Mich.;  Miss  Mary  J.  Knapp.  danKhfer  of  Dr. 
Moses  L.  Knapp,  of  San  .Antonio,  Te.xas ;  and  Ida  Irwin  (Mrs.  .Arthur  .-\. ) 
Small,  granddaughter  of  Dr.  Daniel  Stahl,  of  Chicago. 

Loans  were  made  of  the  letters  written  to  Dr.  tieorge  .A.  Bunker  hy  his  son, 
Dr.  W.  C.  Bunker,  of  Oregon,  III.;  of  the  letter  to  Dr.  Nichols  Hard  by  his 
niece.  Mrs.  (leneve  H.  Murphy  of  Chicago;  and  of  the  letter  to  his  father  from 
John  Evans  by  his  son,  tlie  late  W'm.  C.  Evans  of  Denver,  Colorado. 

Clermont,  1st  Mo.  21st,  1836. 

Dear  Father: — It  has  now  been  near  six  weeks  since  I  wrote  to  Joel  and  no 
answer  has  yet  arrived  nor  have  I  heard  from  you  more  than  once  since  I  came 
away.  1  mean  1  have  not  had  direct  news  from  you  more  than  once  that  came  in 
a  letter  from  Joel  which  with  two  from  cousin  Benj.  make  up  the  whole  amount 
of  letters  which  I  have  received  since  I  left  home,  now  this  is  a  mortifying 
circumstance  made  worse  by  seeing  Noah  get  letters  from  his  folks  every  few 
days.  I  have  been  an.xiously  inquiring  at  the  post  offices  every  chance  but 
without  any  luck  and  I  have  at  last  concluded  to  send  for  news  again.  If  yoti 
knew  how  an.xious  I  am  to  hear  from  you,  you  would  not  hesitate  writing  for 
one  moment. 

Many  imaginary  circumstances  present  themselves  as  the  probable  cause  of 
your  silence  perhaps  a  miscarriage  of  your  letter,  etc.  but  it  all  is  involved  in 
doubt  and  uncertainty  and  will  be  until  your  communications  shall  some  of 
them  come  to  my  hand.  As  I  told  you  in  my  letter  to  Joel  I  then  e.xpected 
to  leave  old  Joseph's,  so  accordingly  Noah  and  I  bid  adieu  to  old  Gwynedd 
school  for  boys  on  the  last  day  of  last  year  and  came  to  Philadelphia ;  on  New 
Year's  day  came  here  to  this  academy  of  the  arts  and  sciences  whose  head 
professor  is  Samuel  S.  Griscom,  a  nephew  of  Benj.  Griscom  who  came  out 
with  Peaslce  he  is  a  fine  man  very  pleasant  intelligent  and  kind.  He  is  aided 
by  four  other  teachers,  one  his  brother  professor  of  mathematics,  a  German 
by  the  name  of  Knorr  who  is  professor  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  and  (jcrman 
language;  there  is  a  Spaniard  teaches  the  Spanish  language  and  a  frenchman 
teaches  the  french  language.  We  have  a  very  good  chance  for  information 
here  are  studying  the  latin  language.  Our  teacher  is  the  right  kind  of  man 
for  a  teacher.  He  gives  us  long  lessons  and  long  lectures  on  them  so  that  we 
are  advancing  quite  fast  and  Knorr  says  if  we  keep  on  we  will  go  to  reading 
in  two  or  three  weeks  more,  this  encourages  me  for  1  long  to  be  reading 
latin.  \Vc  study  philosophy  have  a  very  good  class  of  about  20.  There  is 
another  one  as  large  in  aitother  book  we  try  a  great  many  experiments.  They 
have  a  great  number  of  apparatus  such  as  air  pump,  electrifying  machines  and 
such  things  as  appertain  to  them.  Their  apparatus  has  not  cost  less  than  a 
thousand  dollars  at  a  rough  guess. 

There  are  now  about  65  scholars  here,  we  make  a  large  family,  the  scholars 
are  mostly  friends  children  although  some  are  not. 

The  teacher  has  a  very  good  salary.  They  made  40.00  per  quarter  apiece. 
Some  pay  more,  some  35,  we  pay  -10;  5  of  it  for  latin.  There  is  a  library  of 
2.l)0()  volumes   here  —  how    unlike   Fnulkes   he   has   nothing  hut   a   few  journals 


90 

Scotts  Foxes — Old  Joseph  is  not  a  smart  man  by  a  great  deal,  he  makes  a 
tolerable  preach  and  that  is  about  all  of  him.  I  would  not  be  back  there 
for  money  If  I  had  to  stay,  this  place  suits  me  to  a  fraction. 

I  told  Joel  that  I  was  determined  on  studying  medicine  if  I  could  get  the 
chance.  I  tried  to  fix  it  up  some  how  so  that  the  store  might  not  be  a  preventa- 
tive and  hope  he  got  it  and  my  plans  some  of  them  will  answer.  I  would  like 
to  commence  in  the  spring  in  order  to  get  some  knowledge  of  Anatomy  and 
Anatomical  terras  against  next  winter  when  I  hope  to  attend  the  lectures  at 
Lexington. 

I  would  prefer  Lexington  to  this  place  on  some  accounts  but  on  others  I 
prefer  the  Jefferson  College  of  Philadelphia.  But  this  can  be  soon  fixed  after 
we  determine  whether  I  shall  or  shall  not  be  a  doctor.  I  tell  folks  here  I  am 
going  to  be  a  doctor  and  am  quite  used  to  the  name  already.  Benj.  says  we 
will  aim  at  professorships.  This  I  would  like,  from  observation  I  think  we 
would  be  able  to  get  a  diploma  in  as  short  a  time  as  most  students.  I  think 
by  next  winter  commencing  a  year  I  could  obtain  a  diploma  and  I  would  rather 
have  that  than  the  whole  store,  as  Benj.  said  yes  and  if  I  had  to  stay  in  the 
store  for  life  I  would  rather  have  a  diploma  than  two  such  stores. 

There  is  no  kind  of  chance  for  literary  pursuit  in  a  store  and  the  study  of 
medicine  is  all  scientific  and  literary — we,  cousin  Benj.  and  I  will  study  together 
at  Lexington  or  at  Waynesville  or  any  where  else  that  may  suit  me  he  says — 
I  do  not  care  where  so  that  we  have  a  good  chance  for  books  and  necessary 
instructions.  I  never  knew  a  person  who  had  a  diploma  to  practice  medicine 
but  what  done  well,  if  they  half  tried.  This  part  is  the  least  of  my  concern 
for  I  could  be  satisfied  with  (what  no  one  need  want  that  is)  enough  to  eat 
and  shelter  from  the  cold.  But  this  I  do  not  fear  at  all  that  is  being  so  very 
poor  and  if  I  get  a  diploma  winter  after  next  I  sliall  think  I  am  coming  out 
doctor  in  short  order. 

I  do  not  want  mother  to  say  anything  against  my  calculations  and  want 
her  to  be  satisfied.  I  would  not  miss  studying  for  a  plantation.  The  calling 
is  honest  and  honorable  and  I  believe  the  very  calling  for  me.  I  believe  that 
in  this  way  I  could  do  more  good  to  the  human  family  than  in  any  other 
way,  and  the  object  of  our  creation  was  that  we  should  do  good  to  one  another. 

By  relieving  the  sufferers  from  their  infirmities  1  believe  I  could  render 
a  more  acceptable  service  to  the  world  than  by  speculating  on  store  goods.  I 
also  am  of  the  opinion  that  I  would  not  be  one  of  the  last  in  the  list  of  my 
profession — now  I  like  to  talk  about  myself  and  thow  wilt  think  I  do  a  good 
deal  of  it ;  so  quit  of  it  directly.  Oh  I  am  reading  physiology  the  most  delight- 
ful stuft'  that  I  have  found  but  all  the  books  are  more  and  more  interesting 
even  the  latin  lesson  is  delightful.  I  expected  it  would  be  dry  but  it  is  very 
interesting  and  we  are  promised  it  will  be  so  the  fartlier  we  advance.  I  have 
been  several  times  to  Philadelphia.  Been  to  Amos,  Peaslee's  house.  He  has 
a  fine  old  lady  not  near  so  old  as  he  is  though  she  is  a  pleasant  countenanced 
woman,  Amos  is  complained  of  by  a  great  many  of  his  old  neighbors  for 
being  too  close  in  his  dealings.  He  has  yankee  ways  of  doing  business.  He 
sent  his  love. 

We  are  acquainted  with  John  Child's  family.  They  were  out  to  the  yearly 
meeting  3  or  4  years  ago  and  at  Ashe  Browns.  Israel  will  know  then,  they 
inquired  after  him,  I  found  J.  F.  Wright  in  an  .  .  .  of  books  one  evening. 
He  is  very  kind  to  us.  I  attended  several  lectures  with  him  with  which  I  was 
pleased  had  been  reading  chemistry  and  saw  some  experiments  that  done  me 
good. 


91 

A  few  days  aRO  1  sent  I'ncic  Jason  a  letter  wisliiii^  him  joy.  Chapman 
says  that  thee  sold  pork  too  sintn  by  some  he  Rot  6.00  per  liiindred  and  thee 
only  4.75.  This  latter  is  a  Rood  price  and  the  other  an  uncommonly  hiRh  one. 
It  is  8.00  here  I  believe  but  1  scarcely  ever  hear  anything  said  alnnit  it.  Noah 
and  1  bouRht  150  dollars  on  the  Miami  E.xportiuR  Company  and  sent  it  to  Cliap- 
nian  to  change  for  us  if  it  be  Rood;  please  ask  him  if  he  Rot  it  and  say  nothinR 
about  it  if  it  is  not  good.  I  would  like  to  hear  how  the  old  store  is  coniiuR  on, 
whether  the  Roods  I  sent  got  there  or  not.  how  the  crockery  turneil  out,  which 
Chapman  sent  to  Buck  and  Davis  for  a  few  goods,  they  said  shawls— in  his 
box.  I  sent  some  little  books  to  my  dear  little  sisters  and  brother.  O,  have  you 
sold  the  sugar  and  what  did  you  get  for  it?  If  it  would  be  convenient  Johnston 
Murk  and  Davis  no  doubt  would  accept  a  little  more  money.  I  got  some  of 
them  the  other  day.  They  asked  Noah  when  I  was  out  whether  it  was  safe  to 
let  me  have.  If  our  export  money  is  good  1  can  come  home  without  any  more 
but  if  not   I  will  be  in  need  of  a  little. 

Write  instanter  if  thow  doest  please  for  I  am  very  uneasy  to  hear  from 
you.  I  cannot  contrive  why  1  have  not  got  something  before  now.  Xoah  sends 
his  respects  and  says  tell  his  folks  he  is  doing  well. 

If  it  is  convenient  thow  mayst  say  whether  thee  can  consent  to  my  wish  to 
study  or  not,  and  please  do  not  send  me  back  into  the  old  store  to  loll  on  the 
counter.  O,  I  cannot  do  it  unless  I  have  to.  but  thy  word  is  sovereign  and  I 
hope  to  be  dutiful. 

Thy  affectionate  and  grateful  son,  Joh.n  Ev.xns. 

David   Evans,  Waynesvillc.   Warren   County.   Ohio. 

Illinois  College,  July  6,  1843. 
To  Daniel  Stahl,  M.D. 

Dear  Sir: — At  a  meeting  of  the  F'rudential  Committee  of  the  Trustees  of 
Illinois  College,  held  upon  the  5th  inst.,  you  were  appointed  to  the  Professorship 
of  The  Theory  &  Practice  of  Medicines  in  the  Medical  Department  of  this 
Institution,  and  I  am  directed  to  notify  you  of  the  appointment. 

X.\TH.  Coffin,  Secretary. 
Dr.  Stahl. 

Dear  Sir: — I  take  great  pleasure  in  adding  a  few  explanatory  remarks  to  the 
above  official  communication.  I  would  remark  that  the  medical  school  in  which 
you  are  elected  to  the  chair  of  Theory  and  Practice  is  now  for  the  tirst  time 
organized.  It  is  the  plan  of  the  Trustees  of  this  Institution  to  commence 
operation  with  four  Professorships,  viz.  .Anatomy  and  Surgery,  Gicmistry  and 
Materia  Medica,  The  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  and  Obstetrics  and 
Diseases  of  Women  and  Children.  Dr.  Prince  of  Payson  has  been  elected  to 
fill  the  chair  first  named.  I  have  the  honor  to  occupy  the  second,  the  third 
named  is  offered  to  you,  and  Dr.  Jones  of  Jacksonville  is  appointed  to  the  fourth. 
It  has  been  thought  best  to  fix  the  price  of  tickets  for  admission  to  each  course 
at  fifteen  dollars.  This  multiplied  by  the  number  of  students  in  attendance  will 
constitute  the  income  of  each  professor  for  a  course  of  lectures.  It  is  proposed 
to  follow  the  usual  precedents  of  other  similar  institutions,  with  regard  to 
conferring  degrees,  free  tickets  etc. 

As  this  is  a  new  enterprise  and  comes  forward  in  the  midst  of  rival  insti- 
tutions, it  is  not  to  be  expected,  that  there  will  be  a  very  large  number  in 
attendance  at  the  first  course  of  lectures.  But  it  is  hoped  that  a  zealous  and 
enterprising  faculty  will  soon  secure  to  this  institution  a  place  in  the  first  rank 
of  similar  institutions  in  the  country.     It  is  earnestly  huped,  that  ynu  will  accept 


92 

the  professorship  offered  to  you  and  tlnis  contribute  the  influence  of  your 
talents  and  reputation  to  bring  forward  an  enterprise,  which  promises  to  be 
so  useful  and  we  hope  honorable  to  our  State.  Our  plan  is  to  commence  the 
course  of  lectures  annually  about  the  middle  of  Nov.  and  continue  sixteen 
weeks.  If  you  conclude  to  join  us  we  can  plan  our  course,  so  that  you  need 
not  be  absent  from  your  practice  the  whole  sixteen  weeks,  if  you  choose  to 
shorten  the  time  by  lecturing  more  than  once  a  day.  The  school  must  entirely 
depend  upon  the  ability  of  its  teachers,  and  we  hope,  if  you  accept  the  appoint- 
ment, you  will  come  prepared  to  labor  at  first  for  a  small  compensation  and 
to  look  a  little  into  the  future  for  the  reward  of  your  labors.  A  speedy  answer 
is  earnestly  solicited,  as  it  is  important  to  publish  our  circular  as  soon  as 
possible.  I  shall  have  it  all  in  readiness,  leaving  a  blank  to  be  filled  with  your 
name,  if  you  shall  return  a  favorable  reply.  You  can  learn  particulars  more 
in  detail  by  consulting  Dr.  Prince,  who  was  with  us  at  our  College  Commence- 
ment. If  you  conclude  to  accept  the  appointment  please  send  a  list  of  books 
to  be  recommended  to  students  in  your  department,  and  to  be  introduced  into 
the  circular,  and  also  a  list  of  the  names  of  Physicians  known  to  you  in  this 
and  the  adjoining  States,  that  I  may  forward  the  circular  to  them.  I  wish  to 
make  our  announcement  as  extensively  known  as  possible  in  order,  if  possible, 
to  bring  in  a  goodly  number  of  students  to  attend  our  first  course.  Your  reply 
may  be  directed  to  me,  as  Mr.  Coffin  will  probably  be  absent. 

Sincerely  and  truly  your  friend  Samuel  .A.dams. 

Chicago,  Oct.  10,  1843. 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — Sometime  since  I  addressed  a  letter  to  Dr.  Sager  in  relation  to 
a  course  of  lectures  at  this  place.  He  referred  me  to  you,  as  he  could  not 
accept.  His  answer  was,  however,  so  long  delayed  that  I  had  written  to 
another  person  in  relation  to  the  chair  of  chemistry  and  Dr.  Blaney  of  N. 
Jersey,  who  is  a  young  gentleman,  well  qualified,  has  written  me  that  he  would 
come.  If,  however,  you  would  give  a  course  on  Materia  Medica,  or  of  practice 
of  medicine,  I  should  be  happy  to  have  you  do  so.  The  number  of  students 
for  the  first  course,  at  this  late  period  would  probably  be  from  twenty  to 
thirty.  If  there  are  any  from  Michigan,  perhaps  more.  The  fees  would  do 
little  more  than  pay  expenses,  but  this  would  prepare  us  for  a  second  course. 
I  have  been  several  years  engaged  in  giving  private  courses  of  anatomy  and 
surgery.  I  think  it  urgent  there  should  be  a  commencement  made  this  season. 
A  course  on  Mat.  Med.  might  be  finished  in  6  or  8  weeks  if  necessary.  By 
commencing  at  present  a  number  of  students  might  be  prevented  from  going 
from  this  region  to  other  places  and  thus  give  advantages  to  other  schools. 

If  it  would  be  consistent  with  your  engagements  to  accept,  will  you  please 
inform  me  by  return  mail. 

Respectfully,  d.  Brainard. 

Dr.  Jno.   McLean, 
Jackson,  Mich. 

Chicago,  Oct.  21,  1843. 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — I  received  yours  yesterday  and  have  delayed  answering  it  for 
one  mail  in  order  more  explicitly  to  reply  to  your  question.  The  institution 
is  to  be  a  permanent  one.  ft  was  incorporated  by  the  legislature  of  Illinois 
in  1837.  Several  vacancies  had  occurred  in  the  board,  and  no  appointments 
been  made  of  professors,  so  that  altho  several  of  the  trustees  assured  me  they 
would  make  any  appointments  I  might  wish,  still   I  did  not  like  to  speak  posi- 


93 

lively  of  a  thing  subject  to  a  certain  degree  of  doubt,  and  therefore  said 
nothing  of  this  character,  thinking  it  possible  we  might  be  obliged  to  get  some 
other  authority.  As  soon,  liowever.  as  1  knew  of  individuals  competent  to 
till  the  chairs  (as  I  suppose)  the  board  met  and  made  the  appointments  1 
wished  not  only  of  Professors.  l)ut  also  to  the  vacant  places  of  Trustees.  Vou 
were  appointed  to  the  chair  of  Theory  and  Practice,  Dr.  M.  L.  Knapp  to 
that  of  Obstetrics,  Dr.  Blaney  to  that  of  Chemistry  and  Mat.  Med.,  and  the 
lectures  on  anatomy  and  surgery  1  give  myself.  .-Ml  of  these  appointments 
are  to  expire  on  the  first  of  May  ne.xt. 

The  object  of  this  was  not  to  give  places  to  entire  strangers  without  reserve, 
but  if  you  or  Dr.  Knapp  should  give  a  satisfactory  course  as  i  have  no  doubt, 
in  regard  to  yourself  particularly,  then  far  from  desiring  any  change  in  the 
organization,  it  would  be  to  our  injury,  and  therefore  avoided.  I  have  been 
lately  engaged  in  teaching  in  St.  Louis  and  my  experience  there  has  shown  me 
how  difficult  it  is  to  make  a  commencement  with  a  defective  organization.  It 
is  not  probable  that  Dr.  Blaney  would  relinquish  the  chair  of  chemistry  and  I 
should  be  sorry  to  have  him  do  so.  He  has  been  in  the  laboratory  of  Prof. 
Henry  and  prepared  himself  with  great  care  for  chemical  analysis  and  teach- 
ing. I  have  heard  him  lecture  and  think  he  possesses  every  requisite  for  a 
successful  teacher.  He  would  have  preferred  chemistry  alone,  but  as  he  is  now 
preparing  himself  on  Mat.  Med..  I  do  not  know  what  his  wish  might  be  in 
regard  to  relinquishing  that  branch  but  will  write  him  on  the  subject. 

The  ffes  I  have  no  doubt  will  be  sufticient  to  pay  all  your  necessary- 
expenses  :  if  it  should  be  otherwise  I  will  supply  the  deficiency,  indeed  I 
think  you  will  get  a  little  more  than  your  expenses  covered  in  the  commence- 
ment. The  course  will  commence  on  Monday,  Dec.  A,  and  if  it  would  be  more 
convenient  for  you  to  give  yours  at  the  close,  you  might  be  here  about  the 
latter  part  of  January.  Will  you  inform  me  how  I  can  forward  to  you  a 
number  of  circulars  for  distribution,  or.  if  there  is  no  other  way  than  the 
mail,  give  in  your  letter  a  catalogue  of  names  and   I   will  send  them? 

D.\NIEL  Br.mnard 

Jackson.  Mich..  Oct.  29,  1843. 
Dr.  D.  Brainard. 

Sir: — Some  two  or  three  days  since  I  received  yours  of  the  21st  (as  1 
suppose,  there  being  no  signature  to  it)  stating  that  the  board  met  and  appointed 
me  to  fill  the  chairs  of  Theory  and  Practice :  and  Dr.  Blaney  to  Chemistry  and 
Mat.  Medica.  Yours  also  stated  that  Dr.  B.  is  now  preparing  himself  on 
Materia  Medica  and  that  you  do  not  know  what  his  will  might  be  in  regard 
to  relinquishing  that  branch,  but  that  you  will  write  him  on  the  subject.  As 
he  is  preparing  himself  for  it,  I  think  he  better  not  relinquish  it.  If  you  have 
not  written  him  on  the  subject,  I   hope  you  may  not. 

I  will  endeavor  to  be  at  your  place  about  the  middle  of  January  next  for 
the  purpose  of  discharging  the  duties  of  my  appointment. 

When  you  get  fairly  started,  ( say  about  the  middle  of  Dec. )  1  wish  you 
would  write  me  and  let  me  know  how  you  get  along ;  the  number  of  students, 
etc.  You  may  direct  your  circulars  to  the  following  gentlemen :  Docts.  A. 
Sager,  O.  Russ.  G.  W.  fiorthan,  I.  C.  Backus,  Davis,  TunnicIifT,  Lewis,  D.  G. 
McClure  and  myself,  all  of  Jackson;  Dr.  Acres,  Barry,  Jackson  County,  Dr. 
Cornell,  Spring  .\rbor.  Jackson  County. 

Did  your  school  commence  earlier,  and  were  there  no  doubts  but  what  the 
time  spent  there  would  count  as  a  course  of  lectures  with  students,  I  think 
I   might   have   got   two  or   three   to   attend    from   this   place,   but   as    it    is   now. 


94 

one  has  been  gone  east  some  four  weeks;  another  talks  of  going  this  week, 
but  thinks  he  would  go  to  Chicago  if  he  was  sure  his  time  there  would  be 
counted  and  another  would  like  to  go  if  he  could  raise  the  funds,  but  it  is  now 
so  late  in  the  season  he  is  afraid  he  cannot  get  ready  and  raise  the  necessary 
funds. 

Yours  respectfully, 

John  McLean. 

Chicago,  Dec.  15,  '43. 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — According  to  your  request  I  address  you  at  the  present  time  in 
relation  to  the  state  of  things  here,  at  present,  and,  as  far  as  can  be  judged 
of,  our  prospects  for  the  winter.  Our  course  commenced  according  to  the  circular 
issued,  but  little  else  than  introductories  was  given  the  first  week.  Our  open- 
ing appeared  to  go  off  in  every  respect,  and  the  lectures  are,  I  think,  given  in 
a  manner  quite  satisfactory  to  the  class,  which  includes  twenty  students  of 
medicine  and  some  persons  who  only  take  the  chemical  course.  There  are  four 
or  five  more  who  were  in  and  made  arrangements  to  attend,  but  who  have  not 
yet  arrived.  This  I  think  a  good  number  considering  the  lateness  of  our 
announcement,  and  there  is  another  circumstance  which  is  gratifying,  it  is  that 
the  course  which  had  been  commenced  at  St.  Charles  has  stopped  and  several 
students  who  were  there  are  now  with  us.  I  do  not  think  they  can  commence 
— certainly  not  this  season. 

In  regard  to  payment  of  ticket  fees,  we  have  been  obliged,  in  order  to 
have  as  many  students  as  twenty,  to  give  credit  to  such  as  required  it.  Those 
whose  notes  are  good  within  a  year  will  be  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  your 
expenses  if  the  receipts  in  cash  do  not,  or  in  any  case,  you  can  if  you  prefer 
it,  accept  the  proposition  of  my  last  letter. 

The  labour  of  giving  the  course  is  very  great  and  on  that  account  as  well 
as  to  satisfy  the  class  and  to  have  time  to  become  more  perfectly  acquainted 
with  the  students  it  would  I  think  be  well  if  you  could  come  to  Chicago  sooner 
than  the  time  I  formerly  mentioned  and  the  sooner  the  better.  In  any  case,  T 
will  be  obliged  if  you  will  write  by  return  of  mail  and  satisfy  the  class  as  to 
the  precise  time  when  your  course  can  commence. 
Respectfully, 

Your  Obt.  Svt., 

D.  Brain.\rd. 
D.  John  McLean, 
Jackson.  Mich. 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — I  received  through  your  kindness  the  circular  of  the  Rush  Medical 
College  last  fall  and.  presuming  that  you  have  by  this  time  returned  from 
Chicago.  I  drop  you  a  line  to  inquire  respecting  the  prospects  of  the  institution 
— number  of  students,  etc.  A  good  medical  school  at  Chicago  ought  to  be  well 
sustained,  and  I  think  will  eventually  overcome  all  seeming  difficulties  that  may 
now  present  themselves  if  properly  managed.  It  is  a  central  location  for  the 
whole  west  and  furnishing,  as  it  must,  facilities  for  studying  more  extensively 
the  indigenous  materia  medica  and  having  a  water  communication  with  all 
parts  of  the  country,  it  offers  inducements  not  attainable  in  sea-board  towns. 
I  have  long  expected  the  establishment  of  a  medical  school  at  Chicago,  and 
believe  that  in  no  place  in  the  West  could  so  eligible  a  location  be  found.  Only 
let  the  trustees  and  faculty  maintain  a  friendly  and  honouralile  deportment 
towards    each    other    and    allow    no    personal    grievances    to    interfere    with    the 


95 

prosperity  of  the  institution.  Look  :il  the  scenes  formerly  enacted  in  the 
JeflFerson  Medical  College,  at  the  faculty  quarrels  and  change  of  professorships. 
Even  our  favorite  school  here  has  its  troubles,  though  (>ulu\irdly  they  are  now 
healed.  But  I  need  not  enumerate;  most  of  the  medical  scho<ils  of  our  country 
have  been  seriously  injured  and  some  entirely  prostrated,  in  consequence  of 
the  spirit  of  rivalry  and  jealousy  indulged  in  l>y  the  professors.  But  1  did 
not  intend  to  give  you  a  homily  on  ethics,  in  indicating  the  rock  on  which 
so  many  have  dashed. 

In  order  to  insure  a  good  beginning,  the  trustees  should  supply  the  facilities 
for  instruction  etpial  to  the  most  popular  institutions ;  for  instance,  the  follow- 
ing professorships : 

1.  Institutes  and  Practice  of  Medicine. 

2.  Materia   Medica  and   Pharmacy. 

3.  Descriptive  and  Surgical  Anatomy. 

4.  Principles   and   Practice  of   Surgery. 

5.  Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children. 

6.  Chemistry  and   Medical  Jurisprudence. 

7.  Physiology  an<l  Pathological  .-Knatomy. 

Some  such  a  course  would  show  a  determination  on  the  part  of  the  trustees 
not  to  Ije  outdone  and  if  the  President  of  the  Board  is  Judge  Ogden,  formerly 
of  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  there  will  be  no  danger  of  the  school.  I  have  a 
half  a  mind  to  offer  myself  as  a  candidate  for  some  of  the  vacancies,  and  if 
I  should,  I  would  prefer  5,  2.  or  1  in  the  order  named.  Send  circulars  or 
announcements  of  the  Rush  Medical  College  and  any  of  the  documents  of 
interest  relating  to  the  school. 

1  suppose  you  know  that  I  am  now  a  resident  of  Geneva.  I  was  in  Cale- 
donia last  week.  Your  friends  there  are  in  their  ordinary  health.  Your 
correspondents  there  probably  keep  you  informed  of  the  changes  that  occur. 
I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  as  soon  as  you  can  find  time  to  write,  and 
hope  you  will  consider  this  letter  f>crftxlly  confidential.  It  is  designed  for  no 
eye  but  yours,  and  for  you  only  as  a  friend. 

Respectfully,    1    am   as   ever   your. 

.In.  S.  Graii.vm. 
Geneva,  f)ntario  Co., 
March  12,  1844 

Chicago,  June  8tli,  1844. 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Doctor: — Your  letter  I  rccei\ed  upon  my  return  from  Ottawa,  to 
which  place  I  had  taken  Dr.  Brainard  on  his  way  to  St.  Louis.  -After  my 
return  to  Chicago,  I  was  very  busily  engaged  in  the  issue  of  the  May  No.  of 
the  Journal.  .As  it  was  issued  late,  I  immediately  after  finishing  with  it,  set 
to  work  on  the  June  Xo.,  and  just  at  this  time  my  two  sisters  from  St.  Louis, 
coming  to  town,  monopolized  so  much  of  my  time  that  I  had  but  little  leisure 
for  correspondence.  Allow  me  to  plead  this  as  my  excuse  for  not  sooner 
answering  your  kind  letter. 

Had  I  written  sooner  I  could  not  have  given  you  much  accurate  informa- 
tion as  regards  our  movements  preparatory  to  the  next  session  of  the  college. 
It  is  only  within  a  few  days  that  our  plans  have  been  at  all  matured.  Dr. 
Brainiard  has  been  in  correspondence  with  Drs.  Meeker,  Fitch  and  Flint,  and 
nothing  determinate  could  he  done  until  matters  were  arranged  with  thtin 


96 

As  regards  Dr.  Meeker,  we  are  quite  out  of  opinion  of  him.  and  he  will  not 
have  our  recommendation  to  the  chair.  His  opposition  cannot  we  think  be  of 
any  great  account  and  we  are  quite  satisfied  that  he  would  not  fill  the  chair 
in  a  way  which  we  would  desire.  Dr.  Brainard  will  then  for  the  present  retain 
the  two  chairs  of  .Anatomy  and  surgery. 

Dr.  Fitch  we  have  heard  well  spoken  of  by  others,  as  well  as  yourself, 
and  we  are  of  opinion  that  he  will  be  a  proper  man.  He  has  announced  him- 
self independent  of  Dr.  Meeker  and  will  receive  the  appointment  to  the  chair 
of  Obstetrics,  etc. 

Dr.  Flint  wished  a  chair  of  tlie  Inslilitlcs,  but  will  accept  the  chair  of  Theory 
and  Practice.  He  will  not,  however,  be  able  to  remain  long  enough  to  give 
a  complete  course.  It  is  desirable  then  that  in  addition  to  the  course  on  Materia 
Medica,  you  should  give  a  part  of  the  course  on  Practice.  Dr.  Flint  will  give 
the  first  part  of  the  course  including  Diseases  of  the  chest,  etc.,  etc.,  and 
after  he  shall  have  left,  he  desires  that  you  should  give  your  lectures  upon 
Fevers  and  Eruptive  Diseases.  As  regards  the  remuneration,  that  will  be  an 
arrangement  between  Dr.  F.  and  yourself;  proportionate  to  the  No.  of  lectures 
given  by  each  of  you.  For  myself,  I  shall  retain  the  chair  of  Chemistry.  So 
much  for  the  Faculty. 

We  have  come  to  the  determination  to  build  a  college  and  a  good  one. 
We  have  had  a  draught  of  the  building  and  an  estimate  made.  We  propose 
to  have  a  frame  building  30  ft.  by  55,  two  stories,  with  a  portico  and  doric 
columns  in  front,  and  possibly  an  observatory  on  top  over  the  skylights.  The 
cost  will  be  about  $2500.00.  We  propose  to  raise  the  money  by  selling  stock, 
say  $25  a  share,  or  the  like,  and  pay  the  interest  from  the  matriculation  and 
graduation  fees.  We  think  that  we  shall  have  at  least  50  to  60  students  provided 
we  have  a  proper  building.  Of  these  10  probably  will  graduate.  $20  from  each 
of  them  will  give  §200  as  a  sinking  fund  to  buy  up  the  stock  and  clear  the  building 
from  the  stockholders.  Dr.  Brainard  and  I  each  expect  to  take  to  the  amount  of 
|200  in  it.  li  you  or  any  of  your  friends  are  disposed  to  make  an  investment,  I 
think  it  will  pay  well.  It  will  probably  pay  to  the  Professors  the  amount  of  $200 
in  fees  beyond  w-hat  they  would  receive  if  we  should  not  have  a  building.  It  will 
also  give  an  air  of  permanency  to  the  Institution,  and  call  public  attention  more  to 
it  than  we  could  otherwise  expect  to  be  the  case. 

I  would  be  much  obliged  to  you  or  Dr.  Sager  for  communications  for  the 
journal.  Could  not  one  or  both  of  you  have  one  for  the  next  Journal.  If  it 
is  here  by  the  18th  or  20th  inst.  it  w-ill  be  in  time.  Dr.  Flint  has  also  promised 
to  write  for  it. 

Dr.  Knapp  has  come  back  to  town  with  his  family  to  reside.  I  will  send 
with  this  a  paper  containing  his  card.  He  has  rather,  I  think,  avoided  Dr. 
Brainard  and  myself  since  his  return.  Before  he  left  town  to  go  for  his 
family.  Dr.  Brainard  candidly  explained  to  him  that  he  would  not  recommend 
his  re-appointment  so  that  he  does  not  come  to  town  with  the  expectation  of 
retaining  his  chair  through  Dr.  B's  influence. 

I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  kind  interest  in  my  affairs,  1  had  no 
expectation  that  Dr.  Houghton  would  give  up  his  chair  of  chem.  I  fear  that 
it  will  not  be  in  my  power  to  visit  you  this  summer,  as  you  have  kindly  invited 
me  to  do.  I  expect  to  stay  here  and  attend  closely  to  the  practice.  I  am  doing 
some  practice  and  have  besides  the  appointment  of  Physician  to  the  Harbour, 
for  which  I  receive  $26.00  per  month.  .\s  the  bill  for  western  rivers  has  passed, 
perhaps  50  men  will  be  engaged  in  the  harliour  when  I  shall  receive  S40.00  per 
month.     I  shall  thus  lie  able  to  stay  in  town  and  pay  my  expenses. 


97 

Dr.  Iiraii)aril  ilcsircs  to  be  rtnu'iiibcrol  to  you.  W't  would  be  bappy  to  see 
you  aud  Dr.  Sagcr  here  during  tliis  sumiuor.  1  liavi'  placed  tbo  nanii's  whicb 
you  si'ut  tne  upon  tbc  list  of  subscribors  to  tlic  Journal.  1  am  oblij-cd  to  you 
for  tbeiu.  1  bopi-  to  bear  from  yt>u  soon  and  bave  your  oi)iiiioii  upon  our 
movements  as  regards  tbe  appointments,  etc..  etc.  As  soon  as  llie  appuintincnts 
are  made  (wbicb  will  now  be  in  a  few  days)  wc  will  notify  you.  1  tbink  tbere 
will  be  but  little  dirticnlty  in  raising  tbe  money  to  build  the  college.  Dr.  Brainard 
says  he  will  not  rest  day  or  niHbt  until  be  has  aflfectcd  his  object  and  when 
he  has  determined  upon  a  thing  be  generally  carries  it  through. 
With  much  respect,  I  remain. 

Yours,  etc. 
Dr.  John   McLean  J.xmks   \'.   7..    Ri..\ney. 

Dr.  John  McLean 

Jackson.  Chicago,  111.,  June  2t),  1844. 

Dear  Sir: — At  a  meeting  of  tbe  Trustees  of  tbe  Rush  Medical  College,  held 
on  the  26th  inst.,  you  were  duly  appointed  Professor  of  Materia  Medica. 
Yours  Respect  fidlv. 

N.    B.    JUDD. 

Sec.  Protem. 
Chicago,  July  2.  1844. 

Dear  Sir: — Vou  will  perceive  In  the  above  lirief  docunieiu  that  we  have  bad 
a  meeting  of  tbe  hoard  of  trustees.  It  took  place  the  24th  ult.  and  they  did 
everything  up  to  my  liking.  We  are  now  making  efforts  to  erect  a  building 
which  is,  if  we  succeed,  to  be  30  by  50  feet,  2  stories  high  and  of  brick,  to  have 
a  handsome  portico  and  4  coluiuns  in  front.  It  will  cost  about  $2.1KK)  besides 
tbe  lot  wbicb  we  hope  to  have  given.  That  sum  is  to  be  raised  in  subscriptions 
of  50  or  100  dollars  each,  having  interest  at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent,  for  the 
payment  of  wliicb  the  matriculation  fee,  $5,  and  tbe  graduation  fees  are  pledged 
by  tbe  Trustees.  They  must,  therefore,  be  always  paid  in  cash.  We  would 
find  no  difficulty  in  raising  this  sum  were  it  not  that  1  wish  also  to  build  me 
a  house  this  summer  and  do  not,  therefore,  feel  able  to  do  as  much  as  I  would 
otherwise  be  most  bappy  to  do,  for  although  1  do  not  think  an  investment  at 
that  rate  of  interest  an  object  it  is  certain  we  shall  be  well  repaid  in  tbe 
character  and  prosperity  it  will  give  the  Institution.  If  we  can  induce  the 
public  to  erect  tbe  building,  then  whatever  cnntriliutiuiis  we  can  make  may  be 
towards  a  library  and  museum. 

.\mong  other  actions  of  tbe  Board  was  tbe  conferring  of  tlie  honorarv  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine  upon  John  McLean. 

We  have  now  numerous  applications  for  Professorships,  it  having  been  <lis- 
covered  that  "Chicago  is  a  good  place  for  a  medical  school"  Init  we  have  no 
places  to  dispose  of  at  the  present  time  and  as  they  are  liecoming  every  day 
more  valuable,  we  must  make  those  taken  in  after  the  school  gels  on  well  give 
"an  equivalent."  Dr.  Fitch  was  appointed  but  Dr.  Meeker  was  not.  I  am  glad 
that  arrangement  meets  with  your  approbation.  Tbere  is  no  doubt  is  to  the 
fate  of  tbe  LaPortc  School.  Nothing  but  tbe  per.sonal  interest  of  Dr.  Meeker  was 
in  favour  of  his  appointment  and  it  coubl  nr)t  be  done  without  displeasing  some  of 
our  Trustees  and  all  our  students.  I  tbink  it  probable  that  be  will  not  be  well 
pleased  with  tbe  appointment  of  Dr.  Pitch,  but  as  be  offered  to  accept  a  place  alone: 
it  docs  him  no  wrong. 

When  you  receive  this,  please  send  your  acceptance  that  our  advertisement 
may   appear    as    soon    as    possible    and    .is    to    tbe    a<lvertisement    itself,    have    it 


inserted   in  as   many  papers  as  are  essential  or  useful   and  notice   in   as   many 
as   possible   without   expense.     Write   me   and   make    any   suggestions    you   may 
think  useful  in  regard  to  our  future  course,  etc. 
Give  my  respects  to  Dr.  Sager. 

Yours  sincerely, 

D.  Brainard. 
John   McLean.   M.D. 
Jackson.  Michigan. 

Jackson,  Mich..  July  8.  1844 
To  the  Secretary  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Rush  Medical  College, 
at  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Dear  Sir: — Having  been  duly  notified  that  on  the  24th  ult.  the  trustees  of 
the  Rush   Medical    College   did  me   the   honour   of   appointing   me  professor   of 
Materia  Jiledica,    I   do  respectfully  inform  them  that   I   accept  the  appointment. 
Yours  respectfully, 

John  McLe.\.n'. 
Dr.  Brainard. 

Dear  Sir: — 1  u<.>uld  have  directed  this  letter  to  tlie  secretary  of  the  board 
of  trustees,  had  I  known  his  name;  but  in  consequence  of  having  given  away 
all  the  old  circulars  which  I  had  in  my  possession,  I  was  unable  to  ascertain 
it.  In  giving  my  acceptance  I  thought  it  better  to  have  it  addressed  to  the  secy, 
of  the  board  of  trustees  than  to  Mr.  Judd,  who  was  but  secy.  Pro.  Tcin.  There- 
fore, (whoever  he  is)  you  can  give  the  otlicr  half  of  this  sheet  to  him.  upon 
which  is  my  acceptance. 

.\s  regards  the  present  faculty : — I  am  acquainted  with  them  all  excepting 
Dr.  Flint  of  Buffalo,  and  I  must  say,  (not  intending  to  flatter),  that  so  far  as 
acquainted  with,  they  are  a  very  respectable  set  of  gentlemen  who  are  well 
qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  of  their  respective  appointments ;  and  if  Dr. 
Flint  is  not  an  exception,  (and  I  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  he  is  not),  our 
next  course  of  lectures  will  be  both  profitable  and  pleasant.  From  present 
appearances  there  is  much  to  encourage;  and  if  the  faculty  maintains  a  good 
will  and  friendly  feeling  among  themselves,  and  take  a  deep  interest  in,  and 
labour  for  the  good  of  the  school,  it  soon  must  become  an  ornament  to  Chicago. 
and  an  honour  to  the  West. 

Yours  respectfully, 

John  McLean. 

P.  S.  My  thanks  to  the  trustees  for  the  lionorary  degree  which  they  con- 
ferred upon  me. 

John   McLean. 

Chicago,  July  17,  1844 
.1/v  Dear  Doctor: — The  receipt  of  yours  of  the  27th  ult.,  gave  me  much 
pleasure.  Since  its  receipt  I  have  been  very  busily  engaged  with  the  Journal, 
in  assisting  Dr.  Brainard  in  the  arrangements  for  the  College  and  in  the  Prac- 
tice. We  were  glad  to  find  that  we  agreed  so  well  as  regards  the  appointments 
and  other  arrangements.  I  presume  that  Dr.  Brainard  has  informed  you  of 
your  reappointment,  and  of  other  arrangements  made  by  the  Trustees. 

The  subscriptions  for  the  College  buildings  are  advancing  quite  rapidly : 
four  gentlemen.  Messrs.  Newberry,  Ogden,  Brunson,  and  Dyer,  giving  us  the 
permanent  title  to  a  lot,  and  $500.00  besides  in  order  to  have  it  located  upon  the 


99 

North  side  of  the  river.  Others  upon  that  side  have  also  subscribed  quite 
liberally,  and  upon  tlic  South  side,  we  can  depend  upon  at  least  an  equal  amount. 
The  buildings  is  to  be  of  brick.  <>0  by  35  ft.,  with  a  portico  in  front  and  Doric 
columns,  on  the  first  tloor  will  be  the  lecture  room  for  chemical  lectures,  i.  c., 
35  by  -10,  liack  of  that  two  rooms,  one  for  a  cabinet  and  apparatus  mom,  the 
other  for  a  laboratory.  Above  will  be  the  .Anatomical  Theatre,  and  back  of  it 
a  museum  and  Dissecting  rooms.  The  whole  will  cost  about  $2,300,00.  There 
will  be  an  additional  expense  of  several  hundred  dollars,  in  arrauKing  the 
grounils,  and  building  the  outhouses.  We  will  be  able  with  hard  work  to  raise 
the  greater  part  of  it  an<l  will  have  to  make  an  effort  to  make  up  the  rest 
ourselves.  1  think  thai  we  can  the  better  afford  to  do  so,  as  it  will  almost 
certainly  put  several  hundred  dollars  into  each  of  our  pockets,  from  the  increase 
in  the  number  of  students. 

1  do  not  recollect  if  I  mentioned  to  you  that  Dr.  Brainard  has  received  a 
number  of  works  and  magnificent  plates  from  Paris.  They  will  assist  much 
in  the  demonstration  of  anatomy,  obstetrics,  etc.  Speaking  of  obstetrics.  Dr. 
Knapp  is  rather  sore  as  respects  his  being  left  out.  His  course  in  the  whole 
affair  since  his  return  to  town  has  been  such  as  to  remove  altogether  all  delicacy 
and  regret  that  we  may  have  previously  felt  upon  the  subject.  N'othing  could 
now  induce  us  again  to  be  associated  with  him.  The  details  we  will  talk  over 
when  we  meet  again  in  the  fall.  If  you  could  make  arrangements  to  assist 
us  somewhat  in  the  matter  of  the  College.  1  do  not  think  that  you  would  have 
cause  to  regret  it.  On  the  stock  subscribed  the  Trustees  have  guaranteed  to 
pay  6  per  cent  interest. 

As  regards  the  Journal.  1  hope,  my  dear  Doctor,  that  you  will  assist  me  as 
much  as  possible.  The  present  number  has  been  most  miserably  delayed  in  its 
issue  until  today,  partly  because  1  waited  until  I  should  hear  from  you.  fully 
e.xpecting  that  I  should  have  a  communication  from  you.  Failing  in  this.  I 
had  to  manufacture  a  long  article  myself.  .After  I  had  sent  it  to  press.  I  was 
put  oflf  by  the  printers  who  had  a  press  of  business  on  hand,  which,  (because 
it  paid  better,  1  suppose)  took  precedence.  I  hope  that  if  you  have  not  for- 
warded an  article  to  me  previously  to  the  receipt  of  this,  that  you  will  send 
it  as  soon  as  possible.  I  hope  also  that  Dr.  Sager  will  not  forget  us.  I  have 
not  a  single  communication  for  the  ne.xt  number,  and  must  send  it  to  press  in 
a  few  days  in  order  to  warrant  its  punctualitv. 

I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  additional  subscriptions;  I  will  myself 
(tomorrow,  if  possible)   attend  to  forwarding  the  hack  numbers. 

I  am  doing  just  now  a  pretty  good  practice,  with  prospect  of  its  con- 
tinuance. We  are  having  diarrhaeas.  dysenteries  and  cholera  infantum  pretty 
frequently.  My  time  is  fully  employed,  and  I  begin  to  find  the  Journal  quite 
a  burden.  Do  come  to  my  assistance.  Dr.  Brainard  desires  to  be  remembered 
to  you.  I  neglected  to  send  the  paper  containing  Dr.  K's  advertisement.  I 
send  it  with  this.  I  will  mail  for  you  tomorrow  or  next  day  a  paper  contain- 
ing the  advertisement  of  the  College  which  you  will  please  to  have  copied  into 
such  papers  in  your  State  as  may  give  it  the  most  extensive  circulation,  in 
those  portions  where  it  will  be  of  most  advantage.  Dr.  Fitch  will  attend  to 
having  it  advertised  in  his  section  of  country. 

Hoping  to  hear  from  you  soon, 

I   remain,   in  haste. 

^■ours  truly. 

JaMI'S    \'.    7..    Rl.A.VKV. 


100 

Chicago,  Aug.  20,  1844 

My  dear  Doctor: — Though  it  is  quite  late  this  evening  I  have  determined 
to  write  a  few  hasty  lines  to  you  before  I  retire.  I  have  been  detaining  the 
Sept.  1st  No.  of  the  Journal  from  the  press,  waiting  for  the  2nd  part  of  your 
article  upon  Anemia.  I  hope  that  you  will  not  disappoint  us  in  it.  The  article 
we  esteem  an  e.xcellent  one  and  are  anxious  that  the  2nd  part  should  follow 
the  first.  I  had  not  quite  room  enough  to  insert  all  that  you  sent  me,  as  it 
arrived  late.  Do  send  the  rest  immediately,  as  I  shall  still  wait  three  or  four 
days  for  it.  I  will  have  room  I  think  for  that  which  I  have  already  and  from 
4-6  pages  besides. 

I  send  on  this  sheet  a  wood  engraving  of  the  College,  as  it  is  to  be.  It  will 
be  built  of  brick  with  two  lecture  rooms  40  ft.  square,  one  on  each  story; 
behind  the  lower  lecture  room  a  museum  and  laboratory ;  behind  that  in  the 
second  story  a  Cabinet  and  Dissecting  room.  The  front  projection,  contains 
beside  the  entrance  the  stairways  to  the  upper  story;  and  a  projection  behind, 
a  back  stairway.  The  dome  will  be  30  ft.  span,  and  is  over  the  Anatomical 
Amphitheatre,  with  a  skylight  at  top.  The  whole  will  cost  $2,600.  We  have 
subscriptions  sufficient  to  warrant  us  in  making  the  contract  though  there  are 
still  several  hundred  dollars  that  are  not  raised.  Brainard  and  I  have  each 
subscribed  $200  out  of  our  own  pockets.  We  are  determined  to  put  it  through. 
The  foundation  is  nearly  finished  and  ready  for  the  brick  work.  According  to 
contract,  it  will  be  ready  for  occupancy  on  Nov.  10.  the  day  upon  which  the 
regular  courses  will  commence,  allowing  the  first  week  for  Introductories. 

The  announcement  will  probably  go  to  press  tomorrow.  We  are  having 
applications  and  inquiries  from  students  every  few  days,  and  I  have  every 
promise  of  a  good  class. 

Practice  is  increasing ;  there  has  been  a  good  deal  of  diarrhea  and  dysentery 
here,  and  considerable  mortality  among  children.  The  fever  is  commencing  and 
there  will  probably  be  a  good  deal  of  it.  How  is  it  with  you?  Can  you  not 
lend  us  a  little  help  towards  the  building?  How  many  students  will  we  probably 
have  from  your  section?  What  time  will  we  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you? 
Write  soon  and  do  all  you  can  for  the  Journal.  I  have  not  yet  received  a 
communication  from  Dr.  Sager.  Excuse  the  disjointed  and  hasty  scrawl  from 
Your   friend  and  colleague, 

James  V.  Z.  Bl.^nev. 

Not  having  sealed  my  letter  last  night  I  have  the  pleasure  to  add  this  morn- 
ing that  your  communication  has  arrived.  .\s  I  have  not  time  to  write  another 
letter  before  the  mail  goes  I  send  this  which  you  will  excuse. 

Jackson,  Mich.,  Oct.  7,  1844 
Dr.  Brainard. 

Dear  Sir: — This  week.  I  received  the  annual  announcement  of  the  LaPorte 
School  for  1844-5.  By  it  I  learn  that  Dr.  G.  X.  Fitch  of  Logansport,  retains 
his  chair  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  medicine.  I  do  not  think  he  ought 
to  hold  a  chair  in  each  of  the  Schools.  If  he  does,  his  influence  will  be 
as  much  for  the  one,  as  for  the  other.  If  he  intends  to  hold  a  chair  in  the 
Rush  Medical  College.  I  do  not  think  he  ought  to  hold  another  in  a  school  so 
near  by.  I  do  not  understand  why  he  retains  his  place  at  LaPorte,  but  it  may 
be  that  he  could  explain  the  matter  to  my  satisfaction.  Knapp  is  Professor  of 
Mat.  Medica.  Dr.  Richards  of  St.  Charles  of  .-Xnatomy;  Dr.  Hard  of  Obst. 
I  suppose  you  have  received  their  announcement  and  thereby  are  made  acquainted 
with  their  arrangement. 


101 

In  my  last  to  Dr.  Blaiiey.  I  informed  him  that  1  thought  of  going  to  Chicago 
about  the  middle  of  the  present  month,  but  my  business  is  such  that  I  cannot 
leave  so  soon  as  expected.  Therefore,  you  need  not  look  for  me  until  the 
latter  part  of  this  month.  D.  Fitzgerald  of  Hanover,  Jackson  County,  Mich., 
has  signed  for  the  first  volume  of  the  Med.  Journal.  I  will  see  that  the  Dollar 
is  franked  to  Dr.  Blaney  today  or  tomorrow. 

Will  you  write  me  on  the  receipt  of  this,  and  if  you  can  explain  why  Dr. 
Fitch  holds  the  chair  of  Theory  and  Practice  at  La  Porte,  you  will  confer  a 
favor  by  so  doing.  1  would  be  nkid  to  have  aided  you  with  funds  for  the 
erection  of  the  college  building,  but  as  1  wished  to  make  additions  to  my 
library  and  had  some  back  liabilities  to  be  paid  this  fall.  1  found  it  impossible 
for  me  to  do  so. 

When  you  write,  will  you  inform  me.  if  it  is  expected  that  each  of  the 
Professors  open  with  a  public  introductory,  and  at  what  time  you  expect  the 
others  at  Chicago. 

Respect full.N   yours. 

John   M(I.k.\.\. 

P.  S.  On  the  82nd  page  of  the  Journal  I  discover  an  error  in  my  communi- 
cation on  .Incniiii.  It  is  in  the  last  sentence  of  the  1st  paragraph.  I  think  it 
reads  ditTerently  from  the  original.  Instead  of  reading  as  it  does  it  should 
read  thus:  I  am  aware  that  many  differ  from  the  opinion  here  expressed,  of 
the  periodical  character  of  the  diseased  action  being  less  evident.  I  think  my 
original  manuscript  read  something  like  the  following :  I  am  aware  that  many 
dilTer  from  the  opinion  here  expressed,  and  think,  that  during  the  periods  of 
gestation  and  lactation  the  system  is  more  susceptible  to  the  malarious  influence. 
This  may  be.  liut  if  so.  1  think  the  periodic  character  of  the  diseased  action  less 
evident  than  in  their  absence,  other  things  being  equal. 

If  there  is  time  for  the  present  No.  would  it  not  be  well  to  have  an  eratta 
making  the  corrections.     J.  McL. 

Chicago.  Oct.  14,  1844 
Dear  Sir: — Your  letter  of  Oct.  12  arrived  today.  In  relation  to  Dr.  Fitch 
and  the  LaPorte  concern,  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  give  you  an  answer  which  is 
entirely  satisfactory,  to  me;  he  has  resigned  his  place  there,  but  by  delaying  to 
do  so,  gave  them  an  e.xcuse  for  putting  his  name  in  their  circular.  Possibly, 
they  did  so  before  receiving  his  resignation  ;  perhaps  after  having  received  it, 
as  it  is  now  their  object  to  accuse  him  of  having  dealt  unfairly  with  them. 
It  appears  to  me  that  his  only  fault  is  negligence  and  his  excuse  for  not  send- 
ing his  resignation  sooner  is  that  he  did  not  suppose  that  any  attempt  was  to 
be  made  there  to  organize  this  winter. 

As  I  am  convinced  of  his  sincerity  in  our  favour,  there  can  no  serious 
difficulty  arise  in  regard  to  the  matter :  jjerhaps  his  name  in  their  circular  may 
be  more  injurious  than  beneficial  to  them,  but  I  regret  its  appearance. 

I  am  well  pleased  with  the  efforts  you  have  made  in  favour  of  the  school 
and  for  the  Journal,  and  although  we  should  have  liked  assistance  in  the 
erection  of  the  building,  we  can  get  through  with  it.  It  is  now  in  a  fine  way 
to  be  finished  in  3  weeks,  and  will.  I  think,  be  much  the  handsomest  building 
in  the  city.  The  prospects  for  a  class  grow  better  every  day  and  nothing  but 
incompetence  on  the  part  of  the  teachers,  and  that  1  do  not  fear,  can  in  my 
opinion  prevent  the  school  from  ranking  at  once  among  the  first  in  the  West. 
When  you  left  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  obtained  funds  to  erect 
a  building,  and  the  mere  accomplishment  of  this  object  will  have  put  us 
several  years  ahead. 


102 

If  you  should  think  any  publication  necessary  in  consequence  of  any 
LaPorte  circular  you  can  make  it,  but  it  will  most  likely  be  better  to  write 
to  such  persons  as  are  liable  to  be  affected  by  it  or  see  them,  as  this  will  save 
you  from  inaking  more  public  their  concern  which  is  of  but  poor  standing  here, 
and  I  think  anywhere. 

I  hope  you  will  write  me  and  let  us  know  how  many  students  can  be 
expected  from  your  state  and  when  you  come  bring  them  with  you,  as  a 
good  show  in  the  first  part  may  be  of  material  service.  Dr.  Blaney  has  received 
your  letter  and  sends  his  respects. 

Respectfully  yours, 

D.  Br.m.v.\rd. 
Dr.  John  McLean. 
Tackson,  Mich. 

Chicago,  Feb.  16th,  1845 

My  dear  Sir: — We  were  glad  to  hear  by  the  letter  which  I  received  from 
you  a  short  time  since  that  yourself  and  lady  arrived  safe  in  Jackson. 

We  closed  the  course  of  lectures  here  on  Saturday.  Dr.  Blainey  tells  me 
he  intends  to  write  to  you  and  I  suppose  he  will  give  you  the  particulars. 

My  wife  started  for  the  south  about  a  week  since  in  company  w'ith  Josiah. 
I  have  not  heard  from  them  yet ;  as  regards  the  book  about  which  you  seem 
to  be  giving  yourself  unnecessary  trouble,  return  it  when  it  happens  to  be 
perfectly  convenient,  or  keep  it  till  next  winter  if  you  wish.  I  shall  not  want 
it.  Mrs.  McLean,  like  all  other  good  wives,  was  merely  taking  good  care  of 
your  books.  Speaking  of  these  interesting  subjects  reminds  me  that  Dr. 
Brainard  took  to  himself  a  lovely  wife  about  a  week  since.  May  they  live  a 
long  and  happy  life  together. 

Please  write  as  often  as  convenient.     Give  my  best  regards  to  your  lady. 
Most  respectfully  your  friend, 

W.  B.  Herrick. 
To  J.  McLean,  M.  D. 

Chicago,  Feb.  16th,  1845 

Dear  Doctor: — Mr.  Kirwin,  leaving  in  the  morning,  has  kindly  offered  to  take 
a  letter  to  you.     I  write  to  inform  you  of  our  doings,  etc.  since  departure. 

Dr.  Fitch  completed  his  course  and  left  upwards  of  two  weeks  since.  At 
the  request  of  a  number  of  the  students,  we  three,  who  remained,  lectured  each 
two  hours  daily,  which  enabled  us  to  complete  the  courses  a  week  sooner  than 
we  had  intended.  We  all  closed  yesterday.  Last  evening  a  meeting  of  the 
Trustees  was  held  and  the  degree  of  M.  D.  passed  upon  the  following  candi- 
dates :  King,  Needham,  Monroe  L  Oatman,  Garvin,  Herrick,  Ritchey,  Sherman, 
Long  and  Fosdick.  Sutton  passed  an  examination,  but  as  he  had  not  all  the 
Tickets  he  could  not  receive  the  degree.  Perhaps  it  would  be  well  not  to 
mention  the  names  of  the  successful  candidates,  as  your  students  knowing  all 
who  presented  themselves  would  then  know  who  has  been  rejected.  Only  the 
names  of  those  who  pay  their  Graduation  Fee  will  be  put  in  the  Circular. 

Dr.  Herrick  has  been  appointed  to  the  Chair  of  .\natomy.  This  pleases  me 
and  is  satisfactory  to  the  class  and  I  presume  also  to  every  member  of  the 
Faculty. 

Dr.  Brainard  was  married  to  Miss  Sleight  on  Thursday  week  past.  They 
are  at  private  boarding. 

I  have  received  a  letter  from  the  Dean  of  the  Faculty  at  Louisville  propos- 
ing that  a  Ticket  of  dismissal  be  issued  to  students  upon  the  last  day  of  each 
session,    and   that   it   be   equally   compulsory    upon    candidates    to   exhibit    such 


103 

ticket  as  for  tlic  matriculation  ticket.  The  object  is  to  prevent  students  from 
leaving  before  the  end  of  the  session.  Exceptions  are  to  be  made  in  cases  of 
necessity,  the  student  obtaining  a  certificate  of  leave  of  absence.  It  is  proposed 
that  the  rule  Ro  into  effect  as  soon  as  a  number  of  schools  containing  a 
majority  of  two-thirds  of  the  medical  stu<lents  in  the  U.  S.  ac(|uiesce  in  its 
adoption.  We  think  favorably  of  it.  I  would  like  you  to  give  mo  your  opinion 
as  soon  as  convenient.  I  will  for  the  present  forward  a  favorable  reply  as  I 
presume  there  will  he  no  objections  urged  by  any  members  of  the  Faculty. 

Cannot  you  assist  me  in  the  Journal?  Dr.  Sager  has  not  yet  sent  to  me  his 
promised  contributions. 

Inclosed  the  subscription  of  Dr.  Hurd  and  have  forwarded  to  liini  llif  back 
numbers,  e.xcepting  No.  1,  which  you  know  it  out  of  print. 

Vour  friend  Monroe  passed  a  very  fair  examination.  He  takes  his  diploma 
with  him  with  all  the  signatures  excepting  yours.  .Several  I  have  signed  in  your 
name  and  have  taken  the  liberty  to  imitate  your  autograph  as  well  as  1  could. 
I  hope  that  you  will  not  indite  me  for  forgery. 

Remember  me  to  Mrs.  McLean.  1  regret  that  1  was  unavoidably  prevented 
from  calling  upon  her  to  say  farewell  as   1  had   fully  intended  to  do. 

It  grows  late  and  as  I  have  been  very  busy  today  I  am  too  fatigued  to  write 
more.  It  is  less  necessary  as  Dr.  Herrick  has  also  written  and  probably  toiti 
you  everything  else  that  I  could  say. 

Write  soon  and  often  as  your  letters  give  me  much  pleasure. 
I  remain  as  ever, 

Sinccrelv  vour  friend, 

I.   \'.   /..    B. 
John   McLean.   .\1.  D. 
Professor,  etc. 

P.  S. — Dr.  Flint  in  his  letters  appears  somewhat  disinclined  lo  return  unless 
the  cash  amount  of  his  ticket  fees  be  insured  to  him  ?  .\s  this  cainiot  he  done 
there  is  some  little  doubt  of  his  return  so  that  until  the  matter  is  arranged  there 
has  been  no  action  of  the  Trustees  upon  the  permanent  a|)pointment  of  Dr. 
Fitch  or  Dr.  Flint.  Dr.  Fitch  might  (if  Dr.  Flint  does  not  return)  like  to  have 
this  chair. 

Yours  etc.. 

J.  V.  v..  B. 

Geneva,  .-Kpril  3,  1845 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — Through  some  unaccountable  delay  your  note  of  Feb.  26  was  not 
received  until  today.  In  answer  to  your  queries  respecting  a  Professorship 
in  the  Rush  Medical  College,  I  may  as  well  express  myself  frankly,  and  say 
that  I  am  willing,  if  not  desirous,  should  a  vacancy  occur,  to  accept  tlie  chair 
of  Dbstetrics  or  of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  though  [  would  much 
prefer  the  former.  So  long  a  time  has  elapsed  since  you  wrote  that  the  arrange- 
ments are  probably  by  this  time  complete. 

If  the  vacancy  you  supposed  might  occur,  has  taken  place,  and  not  yet  filled, 
I  wish  to  be  considered  a  candidate,  and  as  you  have  expressed  yourself  in 
friendly  terms  in  my  favor  heretofore,  may  I  hr)pe  that  you  will  represent 
my  willingness  to  accede  to  such  arrangements  and  will  he  most  conductive 
to  the  interests  of  the  school.  .-Ml  private  and  personal  feelings  should  yield 
to  this  great  object.  The  great  (|uestion  with  the  Profs.,  Trustees  and  patrons 
of  the  school  should  he  to  place  the  Institution  on  high  ground  and  lo  this 
end    their    time    and    talents    should    be    devoted.    b<ilh    in    their    individual    and 


104 

corporate  capacity.  The  location  is  central,  in  respect  to  the  great  west,  and  it 
is  but  reasonable  to  expect  that  a  Medical  School  at  Chicago  should  be  well 
sustained.  In  the  Geneva  Medical  College  there  were  this  winter  180  students, 
of  whom  40  graduated.  Dr.  Chas.  A.  Lee.  of  New  York,  has  been  appointed 
Prof,  of  Materia  Medica  and  General  Pathology  in  place  of  Prof.  De  Lamater, 
resigned — the  rest  as  heretofore.  I  will  send  you  one  of  their  circulars  soon 
and  would  be  glad  to  receive  your  second  annual  announcement — if  you  sent  it, 
it  was  not  received.  I  expect  you  will  consider  the  first  part  of  this  letter 
confidential  and  if  nothing  is  done,  let  nothing  be  said. 

I  have  not  heard  from  Caledonia  lately,  and  can  consequently  give  you  no 
news  from  that  quarter. 

In  the  hope  of  hearing   from   you   soon  and   frequently,   I   subscribe   myself. 
Respectfully  yours, 

J  NO.    S.    Gr.'VHAM. 

Prof.   McLean. 

Chicago.  April  7th,  1845 

Dear  Doctor: — I  wrote  to  you  by  return  of  one  of  the  students  to  Jackson, 
informing  you  of  a  resolution  of  the  Louisville  Med.  Institute,  and  asking 
your  opinion  tliereof,  and  is  nearly  two  months  ago,  and  I  have  not  yet  received 
a  word  in  answer!  What  in  the  world  has  happened  to  you?  .A.re  you  sick, 
or  overwhelmed  with  practice? 

In  case  that  letter  has  never  reached  you.  I  will  again  state  the  substance 
of  the  resolution  which  we  are  invited  to  join  in  adopting.  It  is  that  Tickets 
of  Dismissal,  as  well  as  of  Matriculation,  be  demanded  of  all  candidates  for 
a  degree,  and  that  such  tickets  be  issued  upon  the  last  day  of  the  term,  to  such 
students  only  as  may  be  present  at  that  time.  That,  in  cases  where  necessity 
demands  the  absence  of  the  students  before  the  end  of  the  term,  he  be  required 
to  obtain  a  written  permission  from  the  Faculty,  which  will  serve  in  place  of 
the  ticket.  The  object,  of  course,  is  the  prevention  of  students  leaving  before 
the  close  of  the  term.  I  have  returned  an  aswer  favourable  to  its  adoption, 
provided  that  the  absent  members  of  our  Faculty  concur  in  the  opinion  of 
those  now  in  Chicago?  It  is  not  to  go  in  force  until  a  majority  of  the  schools 
containing  %  of  all  the  students  in  the  U.  S.  shall  have  adopted  it. 

.At  the  meeting  of  the  Trustees  to  pass  candidates,  etc..  Dr.  Herrick  was 
unanimously  ajipointed  Professor  of  .Anatomy. 

A  letter  has  been  received  from  Dr.  Flint,  demanding  as  a  condition  of  his 
return  that  he  shall  be  indemnified  by  cash  payment,  for  any  loss  of  practice, 
as  well  as  his  traveling  expenses.  As  we  do  not  feel  able  to  promise  to  meet 
any  svich  demand,  it  is  scarcely  probable  that  he  will  be  associated  with  us 
any  longer.  In  consequence  of  this,  the  confirmation  of  the  appointment  of  Dr. 
Fitch  has  been  postponed,  as  it  may  perhaps  be  advantageous  that  he  should 
fill  the  chair  of  Practice  and  a  new  appointment  be  made  to  the  Chair  of 
Obstetrics.  Dr.  John  Evans,  of  Attica.  Indiana,  is  thought  of.  He  has  for- 
warded a  large  package  of  very  strong  letters  from  a  number  of  practitioners, 
who  offer  their  assistance  to  the  Institution,  should  he  be  appointed,  and  assure 
us  that  it  would  secure,  annually,  a  considerable  number  of  students  from  that 
section.  It  would  perhaps  be  as  well  for  the  present  that  nothing  should  be 
said  of  this  out  of  the  Faculty,  as  nothing  is  yet  determinate. 

I  have  had  an  offer  made  to  me  by  a  friend  to  advance  me  money  enough 
to  go  to  Europe  fto  be  ref'aid  ivhcn  I  choose  without  demandiug  any  security) 
upon  condition  of  my  accompanying  him  to  Europe  to  leave  about  June  1st. 
If  I  go  I  will  not  return  until  Oct.  '46.  in  which  case  I  would  require  a 
substitute  for  one  winter  only.     In  case   I  go  and  cannot  find  a  substitute  else- 


105 

where  tcoiiiti  you  br  tiilliiii/  lo  ijivc  the  loursc,  in  addition  to  your  otiii,  ami 
take  the  ticket  fees  in  payment?  Please  write  immediately  in  answer  to  this 
as  all  my  arrangements  must  be  made  ivrv  shortly. 

I  shall  leave  for  the  Kast  to  visit  my  parents  in  two  or  three  weeks,  if  I 
laii  raisi-  the  funds.  Monroe  promised  to  forward  $3(1.1)0  the  amotnit  of  a  note 
in  my  hands,  as  soou  as  he  should  iirritv  (i(  home.  1  have  as  yet  received  no 
remittance  or  letter  from  him.  Will  you  please  state  to  him  the  urgency  of 
my  case  and  see  if  he  cannot  foncord  it  at  once.  What  are  Kirwan's  circum- 
stances? .\nd  what  is  the  time  his  note  has  to  run?  Would  it  be  very 
inconvenient  for  him  to  pay  my  ticket  fee?  If  he  could,  it  would  be  a  great 
convenience  to  me.  I  never  had  so  much  difficulty  in  collecting  as  at  present, 
and  I  am  obliged  to  raise  enough  to  pay  my  debts  before  1  go  East,  and  the 
demand  I  leave  soon  i.t  imperatife. 

Cannot  you  soon  send  me  a  communication  for  the  Journal ;  also  one  from 
Dr.  Sager?  We  have  commenced  the  second  volume  liut  did  not  feel  able  to 
enlarge  it. 

Please  answer  this  as  soon  as  practicable  and  you  will  much  oblige  me. 

Kemember  me  particularly  to  Mrs.  McLean.  1  should  like  much  to  stop 
and  see  you  as  I  go  East  but  shall  be  compelled,  1  expect,  to  lake  tlie  Southern 
route  to  take  with  me  my  sister,  who  is  at  St.  Louis. 

Drs.  Brainard  and  Herrick  desire  to  be  remembered. 
I  remain,  dear  sir. 

Ever  your   friend. 

J.    \'.    /,.    Bl..^NEV. 

To  John   McLean. 

Jackson,  Mich.  Chicago.  June  2nd,  1845 

D<'<ir  Sir: — I  received  your  letter  in  due  season,  and  have  since  received  one 
containing  a  remittance  for  Dr.  Sager.  Dr.  Blaney  is  now  on  a  visit  to  the 
East,  and  will  most  likely  give  you  a  call  on  his  way  homeward.  He  will  not 
visit  Europe  at  present. 

We  have  received  nothing  from  Mr.  Monroe.  l)ut  should  be  glad  to.  as  soon 
as  convenient.  There  are  several  applications  for  the  vacant  place  in  the 
College,  but  unless  something  more  advantageous  than  anything  we  know  of 
yet  should  present  itself,  I  think  Dr.  Evans  had  better  be  chosen.  He  has 
great  activity  and  energy  and  is  so  placed  that  he  may  be  of  great  service  to 
us.  The  appointment  will  be  made  soon.  Mr.  Thomas  Dyer  of  this  city  requests 
me  to  state  that  he  received  at  the  East  $100  to  be  remitted  to  you  (or  Mrs. 
McLean).  He  wishes  your  commands  in  regard  to  it. 
In  haste. 

Yours,  etc..         n.  BH.\iNARn. 
Dr.  John  McLean. 
Dr.  Brainard  :  Jackson,  July  23.  1845 

Dear  Sir: — Enclosed  I  send  you  two  letters,  the  one  from  Geneva,  the  other 
from  Castleton.  I  send  them  for  possiI)ly  you  may  have  occasion  to  refer  to 
them.     You  can  keep  them  until  they  are  called  for. 

Dr.  .\.  B.  Crawford,  of  Tompkins,  Jackson  Co.,  has  signed  for  the  2d  vol. 
of  the  Journal.  You  will  please  see  that  it  is  forwarded  to  him.  Dr.  James 
Higby  of  South  Jackson,  whose  name  I  sent  on  some  time  ago  told  me  not 
long  since  that  he  had  not  received  any.  Will  you  see  if  they  have  been  sent. 
Before  the  1st  of  Nov.  I  will  endeavor  to  collect  the  amount  of  subscription  in 
this  part  of  the  country. 

Yours,  etc.,  ,,,„^.   M,  i.j.^.v. 


106 

Chicago,  Oct.  14th,  1845 

Dear  Dr.: — Your  favor  of  Aug.  11th  should  have  been  answered  long  since, 
but  for  a  press  of  business  of  different  kinds,  almost  unprecedented  since  my 
residence  here.  My  return  was  on  July  12th,  and  I  am  almost  afraid  to  inform 
you,  that  I  did  actually  foss  through  Jackson.  There  were  two  good  reasons, 
which  I  had  for  not  stopping.  One  was  that  I  was  in  haste  to  return.  Brainard 
had  written  to  me  that  he  was  anxious  to  issue  the  announcement  and  it  could 
not  be  done  until  my  return.  The  other  was  had  I  stopped  at  Jackson  until  the 
ne.xt  stage,  I  would  have  been  delayed  there  several  days,  as  Sunday  intervened 
and  I  did  not  wish  to  travel  on  that  day. 

Oct.  21st. 

Dear  Dr.: — I  began  this  scrawl  just  a  week  ago.  I  was  broken  in  upon 
and  have  not  had  time  to  resume  it  since,  so  you  may  judge  how  busy  I  have 
been.  I  will  go  on  immediately  with  what  1  have  to  say  that  is  important  and 
leave  the  minor  things  to  the  last,  lest   I  should  again  be  interrupted. 

First  then  we  e.xpect  you  to  be  with  us  at  the  beginning  of  the  Session, 
and  to  remain  as  long  as  possible,  which  will  give  more  satisfaction  to  the 
Class.  I  have  gone  to  the  trouble  and  expense  myself  to  get  up  for  you  a 
complete  cabinet  of  Materia  Medica  for  which  I  hope  the  Matriculation  and 
Graduation  fees  will  pay.  If  not,  however,  I  think  it  but  fair  that  you  should 
relieve  me  of  the  expense  which  will  not  I  think  exceed  $10-$1S.  This  is  the 
cost  of  the  case.  The  material  is  furnished  by  a  druggist  without  charge,  also 
the  bottles,  jars  etc.  We  expect  quite  a  large  class.  Some  have  come  in  already, 
and  a  number  have  signified  their  intention  so  to  do.  We  have  adopted  a  fixed 
rule  in  all  cases,  viz.  to  demand  casli  payment  in  advance.  I  insist  upon  it  in 
all  practicable  cases,  but  failing  in  that,  to  accept  in  pay  only  notes  payable 
zvithi)!  the  year,  and  endorsed  by  a  good  and  responsible  person.  Those  who 
will  not  come  into  such  terms  cannot  be  received,  unless  a  vote  of  the  Faculty 
admit  them  as  Charily  students.  I  should  have  informed  you  of  this  previously 
but  for  reasons  before  stated  my  time  was  all  employed. 

Please  write  and  let  me  know  when  to  expect  you.  If  you  could  come  on 
at  once  it  would  be  well,  that  I  may  be  relieved  of  the  trouble  of  arranging  your 
cabinet,  which  I  shall  scarcely  have  time  to  accomplish,  as  I  have  also  my  own 
Mineralogical  cabinet  yet  to  fit  up  (a  work  of  no  little  trouble)  and  both  should 
be  done  before  the  lectures  commence. 

We  have  engaged  a  negro  man  as  janitor  to  live  in  the  College  and  be 
always  there.  If  you  were  here  to  superintend  him  in  part,  in  making  arrange- 
ments we  would  get  on  bravely. 

Evans  is  to  be  here  to  give  a  public  introductory.  The  rest  of  us  do  not 
intend  to  give  any  other  than  one  to  the  class.  Fitch  will  be  here  to  relieve 
Evans  during  the  session.  Brainard,  Herrick,  yourself,  Evans  and  I  are  to 
commence  together  and  keep  at  it  until  we  finish.  So  come  on  as  soon  as 
you  can.  I  have  been  rigging  up  an  apparatus  to  heat  the  upper  lecture  room 
by  hot  air.  I  have  not  yet  tried  it,  but  expect  to  do  so  tomorrow  or  next 
day.  Evans  reports  a  good  many  students.  I  hope  you  will  bring  along  a  good 
number  and  from  others  whom  we  have  lieard  from  we  expect  an  excellent 
class. 

Shipman  of  the  LaPorte  school  passed  through  yesterday.  We  exchanged 
calls.     He  appears  quite  a  respectable  man. 

Dr.  Herrick  has  built  or  rather  is  building  on  the  corner  opposite  the  College. 
He  and  wife  and  boy  are  well  and  desire  to  be  remembered.  Dr.  Brainard  is 
comfortable   settled   in   his   new  house.     He   and   his   wife   are   well   and   happy. 


107 

He  also  desires  to  be  renu-iiibi-reil  to  you  and  Mrs.  McLean.  Present  also  my 
remembrances  to  Mrs.  McLean.  1  congratulate  you  on  the  birth  of  your  son. 
I  wish  him  a  long,  happy  and  useful  life.  I  hope  to  see  Mrs.  McLean  and  the 
baby  boy  with  you  very  shortly. 

If  possible  send  me  at  once  a  communication  for  the  Journal.  1  corrected 
the  errors,  as  you  may  have  perceived.  One  of  the  mistakes  was  your  own, 
the  other  mine  in  reading  the  proof. 

I  can  think  of  nothing  further  of  interest,  of  which  to  inform  you.     Please 
answer  this  if  possible  by  return  mail,  and  let  mc  know  when  we  may  expect  you. 
I  remain  as  ever 

Trulv  vour  frieiul. 

J.    \'.    Z.    Bl..\NHV. 

I  sent  you  a  doz.  of  announcements.  If  you  can  use  more  let  me  know. 
I  also  sent  them  to  all  the  names  you  sent  me. 

Chicago.  Jan.  3.  1846 

Dear  Doctor: — Since  you  left  things  have  taken  somewhat  of  an  unexpected 
turn,  which  renders  it  necessary  for  me  to  write  to  you  and  perhaps  to  ask  your 
aid  in  getting  through  with  the  course. 

Dr.  Fitch  has  not  arrived  and  the  class  today  passed  resolutions  stating 
that  as  there  was  barely  time  for  a  course  to  be  given  and  as  there  was  no 
certainty  of  his  arrival,  they  respectfully  requested  that  provision  be  made  for 
commencing  the  course  imint-dintt'ly.  I  think  this  no  more  than  just  and  in 
order  to  satisfy  them  I  shall  commence  lecturing  twice  a  day  on  Monday  and 
continue  until  the  regular  course  commences  on  Practice,  one  of  my  lectures 
daily  being  on  the  phlegmasia  of  the  chest.  In  the  meantime,  if  Dr.  Fitch 
does  not  arrive  by  Monday  we  shall  have  a  meeting  of  the  Board  and  have  the 
place  vacated  and  ourselves  ( the  present  faculty )  authorized  to  till  for  this 
term,  in  this  case  we  rely  upon  you  to  give  the  principal  part  of  the  course.  I 
write  at  present  to  forewarn  you.  I  shall  write  again  on  Monday  if  we  wish 
you  to  come.  Of  course,  we  expect  if  you  give  the  course  you  will  receive 
the  emolument  from  it. 

Yours  etc.,  n.  I5r.\i.nard. 

John  McLean,  NL  D. 
Jackson,  Mich. 

Chicago.  111..  Feb.  7tli.   1847 

Dear  Doctor: — 1  got  your  note  when  I  arrived  Jan.  18.  I  have  delayed  writ- 
ing until  now  more  for  want  of  time  than  inclination,  for  I  have  been  exceed- 
ingly busy  with  the  Dispensary.  My  lectures  and  writing  for  and  reading 
proof  of  the  Journal. — By  the  way.  you  must  have  a  long  article  for  the  next 
No.  of  the  Journal  if  possible,  and  if  the  Journal  is  packed  off  onto  me  next 
year  you  must  expect  to  spend  considerable  time  working  for  it:  so  much,  please 
understand  as  settled. 

In  reference  to  future  operations,  nothing  definite  has  yet  been  settled.  There 
is  a  move  going  on  in  community  here  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  a  hos- 
pital that  shows  now  signs  of  life  and  promise  better  for  us  than  anything  that 
has  happened  for  a  long  time.  Xo  doubt  in  my  mind  remains  that  \vc  will  have 
before  next  year  a  good  institution  of  the  kind  which  will  do  more  for  us  than 
anything  else  we  can  get.  The  Dispensary  is  doing  good  and  reports  of  cases 
from  it  for  the  Journal  will  be  made. 

I  was  exceedingly  sorry  that  I  was  so  long  detained  as  that  you  left  before 
my  return.  I  would  have  been  highly  pleased  to  .sec  you  again,  especially  as 
we  parted  expecting  to  meet   soon.     I   am  highly  gratified   with  the   impression 


108 

you  have  left  on  the  boys.  They  all  speak  of  you  in  the  highest  terms  of 
approbation  and  praise.  Dr.,  you  must  see  that  the  character  usefulness,  and 
success  of  our  school  must  depend  upon  the  reputation  of  its  teachers.  Then 
it  becomes  important  for  us  each  not  only  to  teach  well  and  profoundly,  but 
to  write  well  and  extensively.  This,  while  it  enriches  our  Journal,  extends  the 
reputation  of  the  school.  Pray  make  some  experiments  on  the  wahoo  and  get 
its  active  principles  separated  and  test  their  effects. 

If  you  will  tell  me  what  plants  you  want  specimens  of  from  our  country 
that  do  not  grow  with  you  will  try  and  gather  and  preserve  them  for  you,  and 
if  you  can  preserve  any  babies,  abortions,  etc.,  I  will  be  thankful  for  them. 

Mrs.  Nicholson  requests  me  to  say  to  you  that  she  has  news  from  Mr.  N. 
and  her  son.  They  were  well,  were  near  two  months  crossing  the  Atlantic  and 
will  be  home  in  May. 

You  say  to  Snyder  that  Granger  is  blowing  a  "Nigger  School,"*  etc.  Well, 
let  him — but  certainly  he  can't  do  much  harm. 

My  affairs  at  Indianapolis  are  all  right.  I  had  a  hard  fight  to  get  them 
my  own  way,  but  succeeded  entirely.  I  shall  spend  the  summer  building  again, 
and  by  fall  will  have  an  establishment  that  will  make  a  fine  show  if  all  works 
right.  It  may  be  that  I  will  go  into  it  eventually  but  I  now  feel  much  more 
like  hanging  on  to  the  college.  We  are  quite  in  the  spirit  of  the  college  now, 
and  no  one  of  us  but  thinks  our  class  will  be  over  a  liundred  next  year. 

I  take  up  diseases  of  women  today  and  keep  if  up  to  the  close  at  two  lectures 
a  day. 

I   shall  be  glad  to  hear   from  you  at  any  time  you  may  find  leisure   to   write. 
Yours  truly, 

Jno.  Evans. 
Jno.  McLean.  M.  D. 

*  This  evidently  refers  to  the  fact  that  David  1.  Peck,  of  Peiinsylvani.i,  colored,  graduated 
from  Rush  Medical  College  in  1847.  His  preceptor  was  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer  of  Chicago,  one  of 
of  promoters  of  the  "Underground  Railroad." 

Chicago,  Feb.  13,  1846 
Dear  Doctor: — Your  letter  containing  the  vaccine  matter  for  Dr.  Brainard, 
was  duly  received.  The  case  of  small  po.x,  however,  that  produced  the  excite- 
ment and  called  forth  the  request  for  the  preventative,  proved  to  be  a  false 
alarm.  The  Dr.  has  nevertheless  vaccinated  his  little  girl,  evincing,  thereby,  his 
parental  care  for  the  dear  little  creature,  watching  its  health,  and  guarding  it 
from  the  noxious  vapours  of  the  earth — seeing  that  no  pestilential  disease  shall 
come  near  to  it  to  attack  its  tender  frame  or  dim  the  lustre  of  its  sparkling  eyes. 
Our  lectures  are  now  nearly  at  a  close.  Dr.  Fitch  has  been  occupying  two 
hours  per  day  since  he  commenced.  His  lectures  are  very  interesting  and 
instructive,  he  has  the  faculty  of  mingling  with  his  science,  occasionally,  a 
spatering  of  fun,  which  comes  very  apropos.  As  you  may  well  imagine  that 
we  are  getting  rather  weary  of  the  lectures.  We  have  been  put  through  a 
pretty  thorough  course,  five  lectures  a  day  and  part  of  the  time  six.  Dr.  Blaney 
is  giving  us,  at  present,  two  a  day ;  Dr.  Fitch  two,  Herrick  and  Brainard  each 
one,  making  in  all  six,  which  arrangement  I  suppose  will  be  continued  to  the 
end  of  the  term,  which  will  be  on  Thursday  ne.xt  when  we  are  to  have  a  public 
commencement.  Dr.  Brainard  is  to  give  us  the  valedictory  or  farewell  address. 
What  the  full  arrangements  are  I  am  not  aware,  but  it  is  said  that  those  who 
succeed  in  graduating  are  to  receive  their  sheep  skins  in  public.  I  suppose 
they  intend  to  have  something  of  a  performance.  I  sincerely  hope  they  will 
succeeed  in  exciting  considerable  of  interest  and  in  bringing  the  institution  into 
notoriety,   for  if  there  is  any  institution   in  the   world  that   deserves   patronage. 


109 

it  is  this.  1  shall  at  least  do  all  that  lies  within  my  power  to  give  it  a  name 
abroad,  and  to  turn  students  hither;  at  least,  if  I  have  the  luck  to  receive 
the  honors  of  the  institution  myself,  for  I  consider  it  the  duty,  and  not  only 
that,  but  it  is  for  the  interest  of  a  physician  to  increase  as  much  as  possible 
the  reputation  of  his  Alma  Mater,  that  he  need  never  be  ashamed  of  acknowl- 
edging from  whence  he  hails,  but  none  need  ever  fear  regretting  having  chosen 
this  institution  as  their  Alma  Mater,  for  it  is  destined  to  rank  among  the  first 
in  the  Union.  There  is  nothing  to  hinder  it,  its  location,  and  every  other  circum- 
stance is  in  its  favour. 

There  is  not  much  news  of  interest  that  I  am  aware  of.  The  class  is  becom- 
ing quite  thin  owing  to  a  number  of  students  leaving  for  home. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  a  Chicago  party  the  other  evening  given 
by  my  friend,  Mrs.  Kinzie,  there  were  about  sixty  persons  present,  and  the 
evening  passed  ofif  very  agreeably. 

Copper  speculations  seem  to  be  all  the  rage  about  town.  N'ews  has  been 
received  by  Mr.  Kinzie  from  Julian  Magill,  who  is  in  the  copper  region  spend- 
ing the  winter,  that  there  has  been  discovered  a  large  quantity  of  silver  in 
conjunction  with  their  copper  ore,  so  much  so  that  the  silver  becomes  the  moSt 
important  of  the  two.  One  Company  has  found  (by  digging)  a  rock  of  native 
copper,  eight  inches  wide,  eight  feet  long,  and  how  far  it  runs  into  the  ground 
is  not  yet  ascertained.  It  is  estimated  that  the  weight  of  what  they  have  exposed 
is  at  least  five  tons.  The  great  rock  about  which  so  much  was  said  a  few 
years  ago  and  which  is  now  in  the  cabinet  at  Washington,  weighed,  I  believe, 
but  about  three  tons.  How  much  this  will  weigh  when  they  get  to  the  bottom 
of  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Is  this  not  a  geological  wonder  Nature  seems  to 
have  amused  herself  smelting  ores  in  that  wonderful  region. 
Yours,  etc., 

J.\s.  M.  HicBv. 
To  John  McLean,  M.  D. 
Jackson.  Mich. 

Indianapolis,   Ind..  Feb.  14,  "46 

Dear  Doctor :— I  have  written  out  one  letter  for  you  which  on  account  of 
news  from  Chicago,  explaining  enquiries  therein  made.  1  deferred  sending,  and 
on  account  of  my  pressing  duties  and  the  perplexities  attendant  upon  getting 
our  Hospital  going.  I  have  neglected  to  write  another  until  now.  I  promised 
to  write  from  LaPorte,  but  I  only  remained  there  long  enough  to  sleep  two 
hours  on  the  floor  of  a  dirty  bar  room  wrapped  up  on  my  generous  Buffalo  Robe. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  from  Chicago  that  you  were  not  only  safely  delivered  of 
your  course  in  due  time  but  that  it  was  no  still  born  affair.  (Drawing  on  my 
own  departement  for  phraseology).  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  favor  you  have 
gained  with  the  class  and  the  reputation  you  arc  building  up. 

I  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  Brainard  a  few  days  ago.  They  are  getting 
along  pretty  well.  They  propose  requiring  us  all  to  be  on  the  ground  at 
the  commencement  of  the  session  and  to  lecture  but  once  a  day  each  until 
through.  I  think  it  will  he  a  good  arrangement  for  the  schools.  The  ques- 
tion of  my  remaining  in  the  faculty  appears  to  be  mooted  matter  with  them 
at  Chicago.  They  enquire  into  the  probability  of  my  permanently  filling  a  chair. 
I  have  been  appointed  Medical  Superintendent  of  "The  Indiana  Hospital  for  the 
Insane"  and  am  now  supervising  the  erection  of  the  buildings.  This  appoint- 
ment will  not  for  two  years  at  most  interfere  with  my  filling  a  chair  with 
you  and  after  that  I  must  be  left  to  determine  which  I  will  adhere  to,  the 
Hospital  or  College,  or  I  must  (and  I  would  do  it  with  sentiments  of  the  highest 
regard    fur   my   Colleagues   and   regret   at    parting)    decline   being   a    candidate 


no 

for  reappointment.  So  far  as  an  opinion  was  expressed  by  Dr.  Brainard,  I 
gathered  the  idea  that  the  only  obstacle  in  the  way  of  re-election  is  the  doubt 
in  reference  to  my  remaining  permanently  in  the  faculty.  Yesterday  I  received 
a  circular  from  the  post  office  and  "MirabUc  dictu!"  on  opening  it  what  should 
it  be  but  a  proposal  to  publish  precisely  such  a  Journal  as  we  resolved  to  make 
ours  in  Chicago  under  the  title  of  "Northwestern"  by  M.  L.  Knapp,  M.D..  under 
the  auspices  of  a  LaPorte  Medical  Society !  ! 

I  have  procured  several  subscribers  to  our  Journal  for  next  volume.  We 
must  make  "a  long  pull,  a  strong  pull  and  a  pull  all  together"  and  we  will 
triumph. 

I  have  two  new  students  promised  for  next  winter  that  I  knew  nothing 
of  when  I  saw  you.  We  must  secure  75  for  next  winter.  I'll  go  my  best 
towards  it  certainly  if  I  remain  in  the  faculty.  What  say  you  to  my  remaining 
in  the  faculty  under  the  circumstances. 

I  now  get  a  salary  of  $800  per  year  and  will  have  nothing  to  do  in  the 
Hospital  and  be  at  liberty  to  pursue  my  practice  all  tlie  time.  My  duties  are 
to  superintend  the  erection  of  our  Hospital  buildings  and  to  gather  information 
oh  the  subject  of  such  institutions.  I  propose  to  go  to  the  Convention  of 
Superintendents  to  meet  in  Washington  City  in  May. 

-\n  act  was  passed  last  session  (just  closed)  of  our  Legislature  changing 
the  name  of  the  Med.  Department  of  LaPorte  University  to  that  of  "Med. 
College  of  Indiana."    "A  rose  by  any  other  name  would  smell  as  sweet." 

Let  me  hear  how  you  are  getting  along  in  all  respects. 

With  sentiments  of  high  regard, 

I  am  your  friend,  etc., 

Jno.  Evans. 
Professor  McLean 
Jackson 

Indianapolis.  Mar.  9th.  1847 
Dr.  McLean, 

Dear  Sir: — I  am  publishing  tlie  Journal  down  here.  You  must  send  me 
instanter  a  long  article  on  the  tannate  of  quinine,  etc.,  and  on  any  oflier 
subject  you  please. 

Our  prospects  are  100  per  cent  brighter  than  ever  before.  We  must  double 
the  class  next  winter.     The  faculty  is  all  alive  and  that  will  make  the  thing  go. 

The  half  term  business  would  not  work  for  us  at  a  distance.  A  resolution 
was  passed  requiring  each  member  of  the  faculty  to  invest  in  books  or  apparatus 
$60.00  before  next  session  commences.  They  will  have,  a  hospital  in  operation 
before  next  winter.  All  bids  fair  for  Rush  Med.  to  be  the  Great  Institution  of 
the  Northwest. 

Try  and  send  me  in  some  new  subscribers  and  turn  Michigan  over  to  our 
interest. 

I  shall  be  able  when  Dr.  Bradway  comes  down  to  do  a  heavy  business  for 
the  Journal  and  College.  I  guess  the  Indianapolis  school  will  be  laid  on  the 
table  with  the  unfinished  business. 

Yours  truly. 

Jno.  Ev.-\ns. 

Indianapolis,  June  21st.   1847 

Dear    Doctor: — I    have    not    been    unmindful    of    my    owing    you    a    reply    to 

yours  received   some   time   ago.  but   expected   another  ere  this,   as  you   promise 

some  original.     We  will  want  it  badly  in  about  a  week  or  ten  days.     The  June 

and  July  numbers  will  be  out  in  about  a  week. 


Ill 

Now.  Doctor,  I  tell  you  wliat  it  is,  you  must  be  up  auil  (loins.  We  nuist 
have  150  stutlents  this  winter  or  break  a  trace  and  at  least  25  of  them  nuist 
come  from  Michigan.  Now,  if  you  do  not  know  where  they  are  to  he  found 
it  is  time  you  were  looking  them  up.  I  will  take  25  and  I-"itch  20  from  this 
state  and  the  other  75  must   come   from    Mo..   Wisconsin.   Iowa  and  elsewhere. 

Vol!  would  better,  1  think,  operate  in  the  Southwest  part  of  your  state  strong. 

1  will  try  and  have  Kitch  send  Moore  through  there.  Keep  a  list  of 
students'  names  and  residences,  so  as  that  Moore  can  hunt  theiu  up  and  take 
them  over  to  Chicago  as  he  goes  over  in  the  fall.  Wni  had  better  lix  to  travel 
through  the  country  so  as  to  see  all  that  talk  of  going  when  >ou  start  and  take 
them  along.     This  is  the  strongest  game  of  all. 

1  am  going  to  make  the  strongest  effort  I  ever  did  and  want  all  nthers 
to  do  it  too. 

If  we  can  once  heat  the  Laporte  concern  we  have  lliom  down  and  tlicy 
never  can  rise,  so  you  see  how  important  it  is  to  work  now  while  thoj  are 
busy  about   Knapp  and  their  building. 

Soine  three  or  four  weeks  spent  now  travelling  on  a  Botanical  tour,  gather- 
ing specimens,  etc..  etc..  will  be  the  best  way  of  extending  your  reputation  for 
science,  making  acquaintances  with  physicians,  finding  students  and  extending 
the  circulation  of  the  Journal.  If  we  do  not  work,  neither  shall  we  eat.  I 
am  going  to  pursue  a  similar  course.     What  say  you? 

Pray  write  Dr.  Thayer  and  get  him  to  send  on  his  article  and  send  yours 
immediately.  Our  Journal  is  pufTed  all  over  the  country.  We  must  write  for 
it  and  extend  its  reputation  and  at  the  same  time  extend  our  own. 

Let  me  hear  from  you  soon  and  often, 

"^'"'"■•^  "■"'>-.  Jno.  Ev.\ns. 

Jno.   McLean,   M.  D. 

Chicago,  Sept.  1/",  1847 
Dr.  McLean. 

Di'ar  Sir: — I  h.ad  the  expectation  of  seeing  you  tlie  otlier  day  in  Midi,  as 
I  went  through,  hut  on  my  way  back  when  1  intende<l  to  call  was  in  a  hurry 
on  account  of  important  business.  Besides  there  was  nothing  to  communicate 
which  could  not  be  done  by  letter.  When  in  Boston  I  purchased  $285  worth 
of  apparatus  for  Dr.  Blaney,  which  will  put  his  department  on  a  respectable 
footing. 

We  are  putting  up  an  addition  to  the  college  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing 
a  shed  below  and  two  dissecting  rooms  above.  Our  Hospital  is  thriving, 
about  40  patients  at  present.  Mr.  Freer  is  in  the  country  attending  to  the 
students  and  the  Journal  and  is  doing  well.  I  have  favorable  accounts  from 
every  part  of  the  country  except  Michigan,  from  which  1  hear  nothing.  But 
I  have  learned  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  Xilcs  there  arc  several  students  who 
attended  last  year  at  LaPorte.  but  who  this  year  will  attend  elsewhere.  They 
must  be  seen.  Dr.  Fitch  is  doing  well  and  Dr.  Evans  also.  We  expect  about 
fifty  students  from  Iowa.  We  shall  cut  off  half  the  Fo.\  River  students  that 
went  to  LaPorte  and  rely  upon  you  to  <lo  as  much  for  those  of  Mich.  1  have 
no  doubt  of  having  100  students  and  if  all  work  125  or  150.  hut  1  am  afraid 
you  will  have  the  most  difficulty  in  your  state.  But  we  rely  upon  you  to  make 
a  good  show  of  volumes  on  the  benches  next  winter.  We  passed  a  resolution 
that  each  Professor  should  deposit  $10  worth  of  books  in  his  own  hand  in 
the  library  this   fall. 

Write  and  let  me  kiniw  how  you  get  on. 

S-ours  sincerely.  ,)^    Bkaksaki.. 


112 

Chicago,  Oct.  9th,  1847 

Dear  Sir: — It  is  better  late  than  never,  so  I  embrace  a  few  leisure  moments 
— the  first  I  have  had  for  a  long  time — to  write  to  you. 

I  am  rather  ashamed  of  myself  that  I  have  not  sooner  informed  you  of  our 
doings  here;  especially  of  a  resolution  passed  by  the  Faculty  at  their  last  session, 
which  was  to  the  effect  that  every  member  of  the  Faculty  expend  a  sum  not 
less  than  $60.00  on  the  means  of  teaching  his  own  branch  or  on  the  Library 
and  that  he  exhibit  vouchers  to  that  effect  at  the  first  meeting.  Xow,  I 
acknowledge  myself  much  to  blame  that  I  have  not  informed  you  of  this 
before,  as  it  may  inconvenience  you  considerably  to  raise  that  sum  beyond  your 
anticipations  at  so  short  a  notice.  Our  prospects  of  a  class  are,  however,  so 
good  that  I  have  but  little  doubt  that  you  will  receive  this  winter  enough  in 
cash  to  reimburse  you  and  also  pay  your  expenses.  Everything  promises  fairly. 
I  have  made  a  tour  westerly.  Fitch  and  Evans  have  each  sent  out  a  young 
man  or  gone  themselves.  Brainard  has  made  a  tour  to  Galena  and  he  and  1 
have  had  several  young  men  out  as  agents  for  College  and  Journal.  Richards, 
of  St.  Charles,  has  had  a  break  with  the  LaPorte  people  and  there  is  every 
probability  that  all  the  students  whom  he  has  drummed  up  will  be  in  here. 
From  all  these  sources  of  increase,  from  the  numbers  who  have  written  to 
us  not  seen  by  any  one,  and  the  old  class  returning,  I  have  not  the  least 
doubt  that  we  shall  number  at  least  120,  perhaps  more.  Of  these  a  good  many 
will  pay  cash,  though  many  will  want  one  year  credit  and  a  few  have  asked 
more,  which  has  been  granted  them.  If  any  apply  to  you  make  the  best  terms 
with  them  you  can  and  bring  them  along.  If  you  can  take  a  tour  through 
Kalamazoo  and  along  down  by  Niles  and  around  you  as  far  as  may  be,  I  think 
you  may  do  good  service  for  the  College  and  Journal. 

Stebbins  and  Reed  are  complaining  loudly  that  you  have  not  furnished 
them  with  a  list  of  medicines  to  be  procured  for  your  Mat.  Med.  case  which 
they  wish  to  fit  up  immediately.  If  you  want  any  additions  to  last  years 
assortment  send  the  list  to  me  immediately. 

Now,  for  what  we  have  been  doing.  Brainard  has  spent  on  instruments ; 
Evans  also  considerable  sums.  I  am  expecting  daily  apparatus  for  which  I 
have  paid  over  $300.00  and  am  making  other  additions  to  the  amount  of  over 
$100.00  more,  all  to  be  completed  before  the  end  of  the  session.  Herrick  is 
putting  up  an  addition  to  the  College  building  for  Dissecting  rooms  without 
any  communication  with  the  main  building.  What  Fitch  is  doing  I  have  not 
learned.  Brainard  and  I  gave  the  Summer  Course  alone.  Robbe  died  before 
the  course  finished  and  did  not  come  in  at  all.  Our  hospital  goes  off  finely. 
We  have  in  it  about  60-80  patients ;  affording  excellent  opportunity  for  clinics. 
Brainard  lias  the  surgical  and  I  the  medical  wards.  I  give  a  clinic  of  from 
1-3  hours  daily,  over  about  40  patients.  The  Dispensary  is  kept  going  in  the 
hospital  from  20-30  patients  daily.  Bird  has  charge  of  it.  Some  students  are 
coming  in.     I  had  8  or  10  follow  me  round  this  morning. 

The  Journal  for  October  and  November  is  about  half  up.  Your  article  on 
Tannate  of  Quinine  was  forwarded  by  Evans  and  I  put  it  in  as  the  leader. 
It  is  a  good  thing.  I  have  prepared  a  quantity  and  used  it  freely  in  the  hospital. 
I  think  you  are  in  error  in  making  the  dose  no  larger  than  that  of  the  Sulph. 
I  think  it  requires  nearly  tzvicc  the  dose  of  the  Tannate  to  produce  the  same 
amount  of  Anti-periodic  effect.  It  is  a  fine  thing  in  cliildren  and  in  cases  of 
irritable  stomach, 

I  suppose  you  have  heard  that  I  am  married.  My  wife  and  I  board  with 
Herrick.     Will   ynu  bring  Mrs.  McL.   with  you  this   winter? 


113 

Griffith's  Medical  Botany  which  1  noticed  in  tlie  last  No.  of  Jour,  was 
sent  to  you  as  I'rof.  of  Mat.  Med.  It  is  a  line  work.  1  have  had  no  chance 
to  forward  it  to  you. 

.An  apportionment  of  notes  was  made  at  the  end  ol  tlie  hist  session.  Several 
were  assigned  to  pay  General  K.\penses  to  the  ColleKe  I-'und.  so  that  the  Notes 
which  you  took  were  somewhat  (not  much,  say  $20.0(1)  over  your  share.  They 
were,  however,  assigned  to  you  in  full.  .Ml  that  you  collect  on  them  use  as 
your  own.  The  excess  over  your  share  you  can  make  up  in  the  apportioiunent 
of  the  coming  year,  ^'ou  had  better  ct>me  prepared  to  stay  all  the  session  and 
be  here  punctually  as  Brainard  insists  strongly  on  the  necessity  of  the  rule. 

Herrick,  Brainard  and  I  have  all  heeii  doing  a  good  practice  tliis  summer, 
although  it  is  not  very  sickl\'. 

Among  us  we  have  raised  the  subscription  list  of  the  Jnunial  In  about  $.S0. 
Cannot  you  raise  some  subscribers  around  you  ? 

I  can  think  of  nothing  further  of  interest  or  importance. 

Make  my  kindest  regards  to  Mrs.  McLean,  and  believe  me. 
Ever  truly  your  friend. 

I\MI>    \'.    /..    Bl..\.\KV. 

John  McUan,  M.  U.  &  Prof. 
Jackson,  Mich. 

Logansport.  Oct.  Utb,  1847 
Dear  Sir: — Yours  of  the  11th  ult.  is  before  me.  Soon  after  its  receipt  I 
started  on  a  tour  through  some  of  the  N.  E.  Counties  of  the  State.  These 
counties  are  sparsely  settled,  and  there  arc  but  few  students  in  them,  but 
quite  a  number  of  licentiate  physicians,  who  design  attending  lectures  sometime 
within  one  to  four  years.  Our  school  stands  high  with  them.  But  few  of  them 
will  go  to  LaPorte.  although  it  is  much  the  nearest  of  any  School. 

We  shall  have  a  i)ood  class  this  winter — one  1  think  worth  lecturing  to. 
Moor  will  go  into  the  southern  counties  of  your   state  and  call  upon  those 
you  gave  me  the  names  of.     He   starts   in   a   day   or   two.     I    shall  go  to   Fort 
Wayne  and  visit  this  week. 

The  Journal  does  much  for  our  school.     Its  e.Ntended  circulation  will  help  us 
more  than   any   other  thing,   more  than   one    individual   eflPort    can.      Moor   has 
increased  its  circulation  in  \.  E.  Indiana  some  sixty  or  more  this  summer. 
Kisp.  Yours. 

G.  X.  Em  H. 
John  McLean.  M.  D. 

Logansport,  Dec.  20th.  1847 
Dear  Sir: — .\  week  from  toilay  I  shall  start  for  Chicago.     I  shall  stop  a  short 
time — a  day  perhaps — in  LaPorte  to  see  Doct.  Rose. 

I  have  boxed  up  quite  a  number  of  Indian  skulls  (17)  which  were  to  have 
gone  yesterday  by  a  team  going  to  Chicago  after  a  load  of  stoves.  From  some 
cause  the  team  has  not  gone — probably  deferred  starting  a  few  days  for  the 
roads  to  become  smoother. 

Respectfully  yours, 

G.  N.  Fitch. 
Jno.  McLean,   M.  D. 

Chicago.  April  24th.  1848 

Dear  Doelnr: — Dr.  Brainard  requests  me  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 

letter  of  the  20th  inst..  enclosing  $5.00.     You  can  receipt  to  those  who  sent  the 

money  as   it   has   been   credited  as  you   directed   as   will   appear  in   the   list   of 

credits  in  the  next  number. 


114 

We  have  not  the  numbers  to  send  tn  Drs.  Mansfield  and  Lockwood  as 
requested,  the  three  first  numbers  being  out  of  print.  We  have  charged  them 
with  those  sent,  that  is  for  y^  of  Vol.  2. 

I  shall  start  East  this  evening  and  will,  therefore,  probably  arrive  in  Jackson 
with  this  letter  but  unless  the  cars  stop  I  shall  not  be  able  to  see  you. 
Nothing  is  yet  done  with  regard  to  the  establishment  of  our  Hospital. 
Respectfully  yours, 

\V.  B.  Herrick. 

Chicago,  Aug.  19th,  1848 

Dear  Doctor: — Yours  of  the  16th  inst.  containing  Ten  Dollars  came  duly  to 
hand.     You  merit  our  thanks  for  the  trouble  you  take  in  our  behalf. 

I  have  sent  Dr.  Acres  of  Barry  the  last  number  as  directed. 

Upon  consulting  with  Brainard,  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would 
not  be  advisable  to  send  out  any  more  of  the  Catalogues  and  circulars  printed 
this  spring  because  they  promise  more  witli  regard  to  a  Hospital  than  we  can 
now  offer.  We  shall  as  soon  as  possible  get  out  a  new  circular,  of  wliich  you 
shall  have  a  supply. 

We  wish   Air.    .Stewart   to   make   reports   as   often   as   possible   in  order  that 
we  :nay  be  able  to  ptililish  receipts  of  amounts  received  by  him. 
Yours,  etc., 

W.  B.  Herrick. 
lohn  McLean,  D. 

Chicago,  Jan.  29,  1849 

Drar  Sir: — Yours  of  22nd  inst.  is  before  me.  Mrs.  Nicholson  received  your 
letter  with  its  enclosure. 

I  shall  finish  my  course  tomorrow  and  start  then  or  the  next  day  for  home. 
I  have  notified  the  other  Professors  that  I  shall  not  return.  In  fact  it  is  a  small 
potato  business  of  which  I  am  most  heartily  tired.  I  have  been  ashamed  tn 
spend  my  tiine  in  this  unprofitable  maimer  for  two  or  three  years  past — 
but  have  constantly  been   in  hopes  it   would  improve. 

The  money  is  not  divided  and  will  not  be.  In  truth  I  fear  me  there  is 
"something  rotten  in  Denmark''. — The  resident  faculty  make  all  the  money  which 
is  made — make  no  division  of  funds  on  hand  until  we  are  gone,  and  then 
decide  to  suit  themselves.  They  say  they  pay  debts  and  the  interest  on 
debts  with  the  matriculation  and  graduation  fees — but  the  debts  are  usually 
going  to  themselves. 

I  suppose  I  shall  see  nothing  of  my  sliare  of  the  money  in  Blaney's  hands 
($30)  or  of  the  notes  due  on  demand  yet  unpaid  ($20). — It  will  either  be 
divided  among  them  or  appropriated  for  the  future  benefit  of  the  College. 
Well,  well,  it  is  not  worth  quarrelling  about.  Let  them  have  it — only  I  will 
not  be  fool  enough  to  put  more  of  my  earnings  in  their  hands. 

Doct.  Brainard  has  said  nothing  more  of  the  $5.00  from  Knott.  I  shall 
mention  it  to  him  tomorrow  and  if  he  hands  me  the  money  enclose  it  in  this. 
If  he  does  not,  I  suppose  he  will  give  it  to  you  next  winter,  or  enclose  it  before. 
At  all  events  the  note  which  you  received  from  him  was  worth  but  half  of  its 
face,  so  it  will  he  better  to  wait  a  year   for  the  whole  than  to  take  half  now. 

The  enclosed  letter  was  taken  from  the  office — remailed,  and  put  in  our  box. 
and  consequently  sent  here  the  second  time.  I  now  envelope  it  and  trust  it  will 
at  length  reach  you. 

I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  from  you  often. 

Respectfully  yours, 

G.  N.  Fitch. 


115 

Doct.  John  McLean 

Kboric,  Ind.,  Mch.  I.  1*49 

Rt'sf'ccli-d  Sir: — Vou  will  probably  recognise  in  my  name  that  of  one  of  the 
Graduates  of  Rush  Medical  College,  Session  '47-8.  For  the  last  few  years 
my  health  has  been  rather  poor :  and  all  the  time  1  was  attending  Lectures 
at  Chicago  1  was  more  feeble  than  usual. — The  necessary  continemcnt  pertaining 
thereto  greatly  disagreeing  with  me.  .\fter  being  dismissed  it  was  with  dithculty 
that  I  reached  here  (home)  as  I  had  to  encounter  sickness  on  the  way.  By 
persevering,  temperance  and  care.  I  have,  however,  been  able  to  pursue  the 
practice  and  have  had  a  tolerably  liberal  share  allotted  to  me.  My  liealtli  now, 
however,  is  far  from  being  robust,  and  1  believe,  that  I  am  subject  of  the 
disease  of  the  central  organs  of  circulation,  though  my  friends  presume  not. 
But  my  object  in  writing  you  is  not  to  tell  yon  about  my  health  alone,  but  to 
express  to  you,  personally,  a  share  of  that  friendship  and  abiding  regard  which 
I  have  for  yourself  and  your  worthy  Colleagues  in  Rush  NIedical  College,  and 
to  give  you  some  account  of  the  state  of  Medical  Science  here  in  Indiana. 
Long  shall  I  cherish  those  alTcetionate  feelings  for  the  Professors  of  the 
College,  contracted  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks'  intercourse  nor  can  I  ever 
repay  them  for  a  moiety  of  the  benefits  which  by  application  and  diligence  I  was 
enabled  to  acquire  from  their  course  of  instruction.  I  will  never-the-less, 
promise  yi>M  to  do  all  the  good  that  I  can  in  my  humble  way  for  the  advance- 
ment and  promotion  of  our  noble  science.  But  here  I  tind  little  to  encourage 
me  to  persevere  in  the  investigation  or  any  literary  undertakings  here,  (and 
I  presume  it  is  the  case  everywhere).  1  have  to  contend  with  Quacks,  both  in 
and  out  of  the  profession.  It  does  appear  to  me  that  the  people  love  to  honor 
quacks  and  reward  them  for  their  ignoble  qualities.  Here,  it  is  not  uncommon 
for  a  lazy,  worthless,  and  it  may  be,  dishonest  drunken  boy.  destitute  not  only 
of  education,  but  even  of  common  sense,  to  loiter  about  someone's  office, — 
a  quack,  too,  it  may  be. — for  a  few  months,  and  then  to  leave  "for  parts 
unknown."  and  the  next  account  we  have  of  him  he  is  a  great  doctor  away  out 
West.  -■Xnd  it  is  curious  how  much  consequence,  even  sensible  people  will 
attach  to  such  a  fellow.  .\  well  qualified  physician  frequently  cannot  succeed 
in  obtaining  a  practice,  where  one  of  these  fellows  will  be  rodi   diKcii! 

A  few  years  ago  a  fellow  destitute  of  education  (a  blacksmith  residing  a 
few  miles  west  of  Indianapolis)  quitting  his  trade  without  further  tcdiousness. 
became  a  "Regular  Physician"  and  began  to  practice.  He  had  presently  to  dis- 
pute the  field  with  a  Graduate,  a  gentleman  of  fine  acquirements  and  in  every 
way  worthy;  and  although  he  never  studied  to  improve  himself  after  entering 
up<in  a  practice,  a  few  years  found  him  retired  in  possession  of  a  handsome 
fortune — for  he  charged  heavily — while  his  gentlemanly  and  very  competent 
competitor  had  to  seek  other  employment  for  means  of  support.  \or  could 
this  man,  although  he  affected  to  be  very  learned,  spell  sugar  or  grain  or  medi- 
cine! the  day  he  took  in  his  shingle.  Ought  not  such  men  to  be  driven  from 
the  profession?  Ought  they  to  receive,  as  the  one  referred  to  did.  the  caresses 
of  educated  physicians? 

I  hold  it  to  be  a  fact,  that  almost  any  young  man  may  become,  at  least,  a 
respectable  physician  by  dint  of  application,  even  though  he  never  were  to  .see 
a  Medical  College.  I  myself  went  to  study  medicine  less  than  eight  years 
ago  without  either  education,  knowleilge  of  the  world,  a  faithful  preceptor,  good 
books,  any  advantages  from  practical  anatomy,  without  money  or  influential 
friends,  yet  in  less  than  two  years  I  had  a  more  correct  theory  than  half  of 
the  physicians  with  whom  I  wa.s  acquainted.  .-\nd  I  am  very  sure  that  nature 
did  nil  more,  nay  nut  as  much  for  me  as  she  does  fur  the  generality  of  persons. 


116 

I  have  gained  all  the  knowledge  I  possess  in  Scientific  or  literary  subjects  by 
diligence  and  untiring  application,  and  I  intend  to  try  to  progress  while  I  live. 
I  have  lately  published  a  small  volume  on  "Domestic  Medicine,"  and  design 
carrying  my  publication  still  further.  But  I  must  not  run  into  egotism.  Every 
man  has  it  in  his  power — if  he  have  ordinary  mind — in  this  free  country  of 
ours,  to  rise  up — even  from  the  sledge  hammer  to  the  dignified  station  assigned 
to  a  Buritt.  Then,  should  we  not  labor  to  impress  our  friends  with  the 
importance  of  a  fact  so  glorious? 

Wm.  Matthkws,  P.m. 
Dr.  John  McLean, 
Jackson,  Michigan 

I  shall  be  pleased  to  have  a  letter  from  you.     My  address  is 
Most  truly, 

Wm.  M.\tthews, 
Post  Master, 

Eberle,  Putnam  Co., 
Indiana 

Chicago,  May  17,  1849 
My   dear  Doctor: — Enclosed    I   send   you   the   $5    for   which   you   gave  me   a 
receipt    for    Knott.     I    would   have    sent    it    sooner,    but    I    forgot    it.     We   have 
a  little  Cholera  here,  about  two  cases,  and  one  death  a  day  so  far. 

What  do  you  think  of  Thos.  Spencer  of  Geneva  for  Prof,  of  Practice  here? 
I  think  you  know  him. 

How  is  your  own  health  ?  We  feared  you  would  not  be  able  to  return  from 
ill  health. 

Please  write  me. 

Respectfully  yours, 

D.  Br.^inard. 

Chicago,  June  16th,  1849 
Prof.   McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — I  passed  through  your  place  on  my  way  to  Boston  but  had  no 
time  to  stop.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  time  in  Boston.  An  account  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Convention  will  be  out  in  about  two  weeks  in  the  first  or  next 
No.  of  our  Journal. 

I  suppose  you  feel  anxious  to  hear  how  we  get  on  filling  the  other  chairs 
in  Rush  Med.  College.  Well,  quite  a  number  of  applications  have  been  put 
in,  in  reference  to  two  of  which  I  would  like  your  opinion  by  return  of  mail 
or  at  your  earliest  convenience.  You  know  the  applications  are  to  be  considered 
confidential  with  us.  Dr.  Spencer,  the  old  man,  founder  of  Geneva  College, 
etc.,  etc.,  is  applicant  for  the  Chair  of  Practice.  How  will  he  do?  They  talk 
of  his  being  wild  in  reference  to  the  old  Geneva  concern — but  I  guess  he 
is  the  strong  man  of  it,  as  it  has  been  going  down  ever  since  he  left.  You 
know  more  about  him  than  any  of  the  rest  of  us — will  he  do  well?  Please 
give  at  length  your  opinion  of  him.  He  proposes,  if  elected,  to  go  to 
Milwaukee. 

Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  of  New  York — Editor  of  the  Annualist,  etc.^ — will  probably 
be  the  Prof  of  Physiology  and  Pathology  unless  something  adverse  turns  up. 
Don't  you  think  these  are  the  kind  of  men  we  want? 

Dr.  Blaney  has  been  offered  the  Chair  of  Chemistry  in  a  new  school  to  be 
started  in  New  Orleans,  in  which  Dr.  Cartwright  of  Natches,  Dowler  of 
N.  O.  and  other  big  fish  are  in  the  faculty.  He  will  not  probably  accept 
the    invitation.     But    bis    Brother-in-law,    Alajor   Eaton,    resides    there   and    will 


117 

probably  try  and  induce  him  to  go.  So— Dr.  Herrick  says  the  influence  may 
be  the  reverse.  It  would  be  a  great  loss  to  us  if  Dr.  Blancy  should  leave. 
What  think  you  of  allowing  him  to  go  to  New  Orleans  to  try  his  hand  and 
still  hold  on  here?  Perhaps  give  his  course  the  fore-part  of  the  Session  here 
and  the  latter  part  there.  We  must  when  our  circular  comes  out  have  our 
Catalogues  in  it  and  send  to  every  Doctor  in  the  whole  county  and  to  every 
student  that  will  be  at  all  likely  to  come.  Have  you  a  young  man  that  could 
be  got  to  travel  as  agent  in  Michigan?  If  so,  let  us  hear  of  him.  Dr.  Meek 
and  I  have  become  the  sole  proprietors  of  the  Medical  Journal.  Dr.,  you 
promised  me  an  article  for  its  pages — please  send  it  along  as  we  must  make 
a  bold  push  now  for  distinction  in  writing  and  lecturing. 

Please  say  when  we  may  expect  an  article.  If  possible,  let  us  have  it  in 
the  course  of  two  or  three  weeks  that  it  may  come  out  in  the  Sept.  Xo. 

Hoping  to  hear  of  your  prosperity  and  good  health,  I  dose. 

Dr.  Fitch  is  going  it  for  Congress  on  the  free  soil  hook. 

P.  S.     Mrs.  E.  is  at  Indianap<Mis  and  better. 

Chicago.  Ills..  July  11th.  1849 

Dear  Sir: — With  the  aid  of  your  alphabet  I  can  read  your  "fonography" 
well.  I  am  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  of  your  health.  Mrs.  Evans  is  in 
Indianapolis,  so  I  am  bachelor  or  rather  Grass  Widower.     She  is  better. 

Your  penitentiary  physician  never  sent  us  his  reports  as  agreed,  so  we  shall 
expect  him  to  pay  for  the  Journal. 

The  appointment  of  Dr.  Davis  &  Spencer  took  place  on  the  2nd  of  July, 
of  course  before  yours  was  written.  They  will  add  much  to  our  strength  I 
find  from  report. 

As  to  the  young  man  Lowey  we  will  allow  him  to  travel  out  two  weeks  or 
three  if  he  will  go  at  $2.50  per  dium  he  finding  himself  and  taking  it  all  in 
college  tickets. 

Young  Loftin  I  expect  in  the  south  eastern  part  of  Michigan,  Indiana  and 
Ohio  in  the  neighborhood. 

We  shall  probably  have  the  catalogue  and  circulars  out  in  a  few  days,  a 
week  or  two  at  the  out  side.  Our  terms  will  probably  be  10  dols  a  ticket 
when  credit  is  given  or  $9  cash,  making  7  dols  difterence  and  charge  interest 
on  notes  into  the  bargain. 

If  the  young  man  does  well  we  may  let  him  travel  the  whole  amount  of 
his  tickets  out.     The  tickets  to  him  shall  be  at  cash  price. 

Let  us  know  by  return  of  mail  what  to  expect  and  we  will  forward  the 
papers  or  get  some  one  else. 

We  may  not  get  boys  to  travel  out  all  the  tickets  we  are  allowed  on  those 
terms  but  think  we  have  made  arrangements  for  most  or  quite  all. 

Phipps  takes  two  sets.  Woodbury  one  and  a  half,  Gregory  one  and  perhaps 
Loftin  one,  5!S.     Our  allowance  is  6. 

Sorry  it  did  not  look  best  for  the  interest  of  our  school  to  appoint  your 
friend  but  so  it  was. 

Yours  truly.  j^^    ^^.^^^ 

Chicago,  Oct.  6,  1849 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — Since  \  wrote  you  last,  circumstances  have  occurred  which  will 
probably  make  necessary  considerable  changes  in  our  college  arrangements. 
We  have  ascertained  that  Knapp,  Richards   and  Co.   have  arranged  matters   to 


118 

transport  their  school  to  Chicago  and  make  their  attempt  here.  They  organize 
and  get  the  students  matriculated  at  Davenport  and  then  fetch  them  here. 
Their  ticket  fees  are  lower  than  ours  and  they  take  students,  of  course,  at 
any  price. 

In  order  to  compete  successfully  with  them  at  once  and  put  a  stop  to 
any  chance  of  success  they  may  have,  the  members  of  the  faculty  here  think 
it  advisable  to  put  down  the  tickets  at  once  to  $40.00  or  in  cash  $36.00.  As 
we  cannot  communicate  with  Dr.  Spencer,  his  ticket  will  have  to  stand  as  it 
is  this  year  unless  he  comes  voluntarily  inti>  the  arrangement.  This  will  leave 
the  others  $5  each. 

We  intend  this  as  only  a  preliminary  step  to  abolishing  the  lecture  fees  and 
putting  such  graduation  fee  cash  (say  $25)  as  we  may  think  advisable  in 
place  of  them. 

We  have  not  come  to  this  conclusion  without  much  deliberation  and  considera- 
tion of  all  the  circumstances  which  surround  us,  but  we  are  convinced  the 
system  pursued  at  Cleveland  and  LaPorte  and  tlie  one  about  to  be  pursued 
at  Ann  Arbor  will  force  us  into  it. 

If  you  do  not  think  best  to  accede  to  tlie  terms  so  far  as  your  ticket  is 
concerned,  they  will  still  be  the  same,  as  we  shall  make  it  up  on  tlie  others. 
If  you  do,  we  will  so  arrange  that  you  can  remain  but  8  weeks. 

I  think  in  any  case  it  will  be  best  for  you  to  remain  in  Michigan  about 
one  or  two  weeks  after  the  ISth  inst.  in  order  to  see  and  communicate  with 
students  as  this  arrangement  ought  to  enable  us  to  compete  w'ith  Cleveland 
in  that  region.  You  may  employ  as  an  agent  a  student  if  you  choose  and  give 
him  his  tickets  or  a  part  of  them   for  his  services. 

The  prospects  of  the  class  seem  good,  but  we  are  determined  to  meet  that 
opposition  at  once.     Dr.  Davis  is  here  and  seems  pleased  and  doing  well. 
Very  respectfully  yours, 

D.    Br.\in.\rd. 

Oct.  19,  1849 
Dr.  McLean. 

Dear  Sir: — I  received  yours  yesterday.  The  class  is  larger  this  last  year 
at  the  commencement  which  I  think  pretty  well  for  there  are  fewer  students 
in  the  country.  Dr.  Spencer  wishes  to  lecture  three  times  a  week  e.xtra  so  as 
to  finish  his  course  early,  and  have  your  course  at  the  last  half  of  the  session. 
If  it  would  be  agreeable  to  you  I  think  we  might  as  well  adopt  that  course.  It 
would  help  you  to  circulate  documents  and  work  for  the  school. 
In  haste. 

Yours  very  sincerely. 

D.  Br.\in'.\rd. 

Chicago,  Oct.  25,  1846 
LElTl'KES     OX      M.\TEKI.\     MEDIC.\ 

Mv  Dear  Hard: — I  start  this  night  week  for  LaPorte  to  be  there  Deo  volenti, 
on  Monday  Evening  2nd  Nov.  and  to  give  my  introductory  on  Tuedsay. 

Expect  to  stay  2  or  3  weeks,  and  return  and  go  over  again  11th  of  Feb. 
I  think  it  important  that  a  full  team  be  there  to  open. 

I  hear  nothing  from  you  or  Richards,  what  your  arrangetnents  are.  This  is 
not  as  it  should  be. 

Do  be  active  among  the  disciples  in  your  region  to  have  them  off  in  due  time. 

This  is  going  to  be  a  far  more  important  session  to  test  the  comparative 
strength  of  the  two  schools  tlian  any  previous  one. 


119 

Simdry  stu(lciu>  liavi-  already  arrived  lure.  ( liii-  trmn  C'harlotnii.  I Uliv 
County.  111.,  who  reports  .5  more  from  that  region  eoniiiiK  here.  We  mu.st 
attend  to  the  W'ahash  Counties  next  year  and  send  several  full  pledged  pupils 
in  that  direction. 

The  student  from  Coles  reports  Hlaney  sick  and  i5rainard  gone  to  Juliet. 
I  understand  from  him  that  he  is  prepared  to  pay  up  hut  wishes  to  sell  his 
horse  and  get  hooks.  1  mean  to  propose  to  take  his  horse  for  tickets  if  he 
will  go  to  LaPortc,  after  he  has  looked  ahout  lierc  a  while,  lie  saw  Truesdail 
at  Blue  Island  who  put  I.al'orte  pretty  strongly  into  his  head.  He  saw  our 
circular  but  says  they  think  down  there  that  hecanse  Chicago  is  the  greater 
place  it  must  have  the  greater  school.  He  is  advised  now  to  the  contrary  and 
wishes  to  go  to  the  best. 

The  fact  is  Richards  and  you  ought  to  make  a  dcmonslralion  this  week  of 
loads  of  students  going  through  Chicago  to  I.al'orte. 

I  am  doing  all  1  can  in  the  papers  here  just  now.  The  Journal  noticed  the 
institute  of  its  own  accord.  I  have  replied  thanking  the  editors  in  behalf  of 
it,  which,  if  they  insert,  will  show  well.  I  will  send  you  the  announcements  if 
they  appear 

Do  go  it  right  just  now  and  let  jjractice  go  to  the  for  a  week. 

Ever  truly  vours. 

M.    I..    Kn.mt. 

St.  Charles.  111.,  .March  10.  1850 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern 
GrccliiHi: — 
Be  it  known  that  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  bearer,  Moses  L.  Knapp,  M.  D.  of  Chicago,  for  the  last  eight  years; 
both  in  private  and  public;  in  his  capacity  as  a  gentleman,  citizen,  practitioner 
of  medicine;  and  professionally  as  a  teacher  of  the  various  branches  of  science. 
.•\nd  it  affords  me  unfeigned  satisfaction  and  delight  to  attest  from  personal 
knowledge  his  claim,  in  every  one  of  these  capacities,  to  the  highest  com- 
mendation. 

As  a  gentleman  he  bears  his  own  crcdoiilials.  As  a  practitioner  of  the 
healing  art  of  which  he  is  "one  of  the  Masters,"  try  liim  !  As  a  teacher  and 
especially  of  the  "Materia  Medica"  his  success  above  all  other  teachers  to 
whom  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  has  been  the  universal  admiration 
and  subject  of  unqualilied  appropriation  of  every  class  of  students  before  whom 
he  has  appeared  in  such  capacity.  May  his  career  of  usefulness  extend  frnm 
the  past  to  the  future  and  his  full  honors  will  be  fairly  won! 

Orpiikus  Evi-rts,  M.  D. 

Professor  of  Chemistry  &  Pharmacy 

Coll.  of  Phy.  &  .Surg. 

Iowa  University 

Professor  M.  I,.  Knapp  of  the  chairs  of  Materia  Medica  and  TheraiH-utics. 
having  intimated  his  intention  to  pass  some  time  away  from  his  hoine,  and 
as  he  will,  during  such  time  visit  remote  parts  of  the  country,  I  take  pleasure 
in  bearing  testimony  to  his  professional  standing  in  the  Xorth  West,  and  to 
his  readiness  to  make  the  most  liberal  sacrifices  for  the  advancement  of  the 
profession  to  which  he  is  so  devotedly  attached.  Any  facilities  that  may  be 
afforded  him  during  his  absence  will  be  duly  appreciated  by  his  associates  in 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Iowa  University. 

Medical  Department  of  Iowa  University 

Davenport,  March  19th,  18.^0  C.  R.  Ciim'MW.  Pres.  of  the  f:icult> 


120 

The  bearer  of  this,  Dr.  M.  L.  Knapp,  who  has  long  been  a  resident  of 
Illinois  at  Springfield  and  Chicago,  having  intimated  to  the  undersigned  that 
he  contemplates  seeking  a  more  genial  climate  in  some  of  the  southern  States, 
we  take  pleasure  in  stating,  that  we  have,  most  of  us,  enjoyed  for  a  long  series 
of  years  the  intimate  acquaintance  and  friendship  of  the  Doctor,  and  his  very 
interesting  and  accomplished  family. 

With  some  of  us  the  Doctor  has  been  our  family  physician  on  whom  we 
have  relied  in  the  e.xtremest  emergencies.  We  recommend  him,  wherever  he 
may  go,  or  wherever  he  may  choose  his  residence,  to  the  clemency,  confidence, 
and  friendship  of  the  community;  as  a  Gentleman  of  high  moral  worth  and 
integrity,  and  an  eminent,  scientific,  and  successful  practitioner  and  teacher  of 
medicine. 

State  of  Illinois,  October  25,  1850. 

Though  regretting  exceedingly  that 
Dr.  Knapp's  health  compels  him  to 
leave  our  city,  with  his  amiable 
family,  I  willingly  join  with  those 
whose  names  are  hereunto  annexed, 
in  recommending  him  to  any  com- 
munity in  which  he  may  determine 
to  fix  his  residence. 

J.  V.«,N  De  Velde,  S.  J. 

Bishop  of  Chicago 
John  Moore  Treas.  of  111. 

Thomas  Ford  Ex.  Gov.  of  111. 

David  L.  Gregg  Sec.  of  State. 

Thos.  H.  Campbell       Auditor  P.  A. 
S.  H.  Tre.\t  Chief  Justice  of  Sup.  Ct. 

Tames  Shield.';  r-      ^       ■    ,- 

"S.  A.  Douglas  ^^"^^"'^  '"  Congress. 

James  Curtiss  Mayor  of  Chicago, 

Smithsonian  Institution, 
Washington,  Oct.   17,  1854 

Dear  Sir: — Your  communication  entitled  "Discovery  of  the  Cause,  Nature,  Cure 
and  Prevention  of  Epidemic  Cholera,"  was  duly  received  and  I  have  perused  it 
with  much  interest  and  instruction.  I  am  sorry,  however,  to  inform  you  that  I 
do  not  think  it  is  properly  adapted  for  publication  in  the  Smithsonian  Contribu- 
tions to  Knowledge.  It  is  purely  professional,  and  the  truth  of  the  propositions 
you  advance,  can  only  be  fully  established  in  the  mind  of  the  age,  by  the  extended 
observations  and  experiments  of  physicians.  Before  it  could  be  published  accord- 
ing to  the  rules  adopted  by  the  Institution  it  would  be  necessary  that  a  com- 
mission of  eminent  physicians  should  declare  it  to  be  an  important  positive 
addition  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge,  but  in  the  present  condition  of  the 
whole  subject,  I  doubt  whether  a  commission  would  so  consider  it.  New  truths, 
even  of  a  palpable  kind,  make  slow  progress  when  opposed  by  old  errors,  but 
though  their  progress  be  slow,  they  finally  prevail  independently  of  authority. 
I  think  the  better  cause  would  be  to  publish  your  essay  in  some  medical  journal, 
where  it  will  meet  the  eye  of  your  professional  brothers  and  the  discussion  with 
regard  to  it  be  at  first  confined  to  them. 

I  am  much  in  favor  of  well  conditioned  hypotheses  as  the  precursors  of 
truth.  They  serve  to  direct  attention  in  definite  lines  and  when  properly  used 
as  antecedent  probabilities  finally  lead  to  the  establishment  of  the  most  valuable 
general   principles.     But   there   are   so   many   crude   and   undigested   speculations 


121 

offered  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution  that  it  would  be  overwhelmed  with  articles 
of  this  class  were  it  not  extremely  cautious  in  admitting  any  thing  however 
valuable  which  is  not  fully  established  as  a  positive  truth.  I  think  it  a  duty 
you  owe  to  yourself  and  the  cause  of  humanity,  to  publish  your  article  in  some 
Medical  Journal ;  to  have  extra  copies  struck  off  and  distributed  to  the  principal 
physicians  in  the  country.  We  shall  be  happy  though  the  medium  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  to  transmit  copies  to  the  principal  scientific  as.sociations  of 
the  old  world. 

We  retain  the  article  until  we  hear  from  you  again. 

I  am  very  respectfully.     Your  obedient  servant 
Jo-SEPH    Hf.nrv. 

Sec.  Smithsonian   Inst. 
M.  L.  Knapp.  Esq. 
Cincinnati.  Ohio 

Philadelphia.  Oct.  13th,  1855 

.U_v  di-ar  Sir: — During  a  temporary  absence  from  home,  your  brochure  on 
the  Cholera  came.  Permit  me  before  ever  I  have  read  it  as  1  ought  to  thank 
you  most  kindly  for  your  attention  in  recollecting  me.  This  instant  1  have  laid 
it  down  after  reading  it  with  locomotive  speed  determining  from  the  interest  it 
has  excited  to  give  it  a  study.  The  boldness  amazed  and  gratified  me.  I  hate 
droning  and  delight  always  in  the  mind  that  can  soar.  It  is  well  written  and 
that  is  a  great  deal  for  without  a  good  style  much  is  lost  of  good  thoughts.  I 
knew  your  mind  well  before,  but  not  your  style  so  well  as  now.  But  remember, 
no  medical  man  writes  with  originality  on  such  views  who  is  not  beset.  This 
you  must  e.xpect.  1  wish  I  had  the  right,  by  previous  study  of  your  pages,  to 
speak  more  to  the  purpose,  hut  I  was  anxious  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
those  welcome  pages. 

Believe  me  as  ever. 

With  the  kindest  wishes  for  your  professional  success. 

Yours  truly  and  respectfully. 

Wll.I.I.\M    P.    C.    R.\RTON. 

Dr.  M.  L.  Knapp 

Philadelphia.  Oct.  21,  1855 
Dear  Doctor:  —  In  the  miilst  of  carpentering  your  letter  was  handed  to  me 
this  morning.  I  stopped  my  saw  a  moment  to  tind  whether  it  was  anything 
requiring  an  immediate  answer  and  then  went  on  the  faster,  that  I  had  some- 
thing awaiting  the  finis.  I  am  induced  to  reply  immediately  on  the  perusal  of 
your  letter  because  of  the  concern  I  feel  lest  your  experience,  less  than  mine 
on  the  point  I  have  in  view,  might,  without  caution  betray  your  pocket.  If  I 
therefore  offer  a  few  words  of  caution  the  otTering  will  be.  I  trust,  received,  as 
I  feel  it  to  be.  one  of  friendliness :  and  not  with  any  view  of  creating  luke- 
warnmess  in  your  very  laudable  desire  to  bring  your  views  before  the  public. 
You  know  me  well  enough  to  know  I  never  hesitate  to  speak  or  write  especially 
what  I  think.  1  have  never  yet  seen  the  occasion  fitting  to  call  forth  my 
thoughts  that  has  not  met  those  thoughts  promptly,  and  it  is  quite  likely  too 
often  impulsively.  Xo  conventionality  or  consideration  for  self-interest  ever 
distorted  sentiments  coming  from  me.  This  is  nothing  to  boast  but  it  is  the 
simple  truth,  it  may  be  a  weakness  of  character  but  I  can't  help  that.  Do 
me  therefore  the  justice  to  believe  I  venture  in  kindness  to  offer  some  sugges- 
tions which  may  save  your  pocket  and  future  regrets.  If  you  had  told  me 
anything  else  than  that  booksellers  (Lea  and  Ulanehard  especially)  had  declined 
publishing  for  you  on  their  own  account,  I  should  have  set  you  down  not  only 
as  a  rare  avis  amongst  authors,  but  as  a  verv  lucky  man  indeed.     Booksellers  as 


122 

a  tribe  are  sui  generis  emphatically  so.  Tliey  have  arcana  unknown  generally 
and  utterly  at  variance  with  their  boastings  of  fostering  learning  and  science 
and  literature. 

During  ten  years  nearly  that  I  was  publisliing  various  works  with  M. 
Carey  tlien  Carey  and  Son  (the  son  a  shrewd  man  and  an  able  bookseller)  I 
learned  these  arcana.  Among  the  most  liberal  of  the  tribe  was  that  extraordi- 
nary man  M.  Carey,  the  father.  He  did  become  my  friend  as  much  as  it  is 
possible  for  a  bookseller  to  be  the  friend  of  the  author  for  whom  he  is  publisher 
and  even  (for  he  was  a  fine  open  hearted  Irish  man)  a  little  more.  But  such 
men  are  scarce.  I  did  certainly  make  money  by  him,  but  what  to  him  was  of 
more  importance ;  though  he  liked  to  see  me  do  this,  he  made  a  vast  deal  more 
by  me.  This  is  the  pivot  over  which  the  whole  machinery  turns.  What  they 
can  make  of  money  by  your  labor !  Even  Ballantyne  and  Constable  received 
Sir  Walter  Scott  as  a  merchant  views  the  quality  of  a  bale  or  piece  of  goods 
at  auction — how  much  will  it  yield  me?  Will  it  certainly  all  sell  quickly  if  not 
at  a  great  profit ;  at  least  at  an  advance  compensating  me  for  my  time  and  trouble 
in  buying  it.  Murray  it  is  true  sent  large  sums  to  Byron  which  at  least 
he  once  returned  and  several  times  reduced  that  patron  of  poetry's  own  offers. 
Both  could  afford  this.  Murray's  liberality  because  Byron  had  enriched  him 
and  Byron's  moderation  because  Murray  had  shown  him  the  powers  of  appreciat- 
ing his  muse  and  generous  reward  of  him.  But  these  things  never  occur  in 
medical  literature.  If  you  were  to  offer  works  as  important  as  Harvey's  or 
Haller's — Booksellers  would  be  coy,  coquettish  and  grinding.  They  will  risk 
nothing — be  assured  of  that.  They  will  liberally  proffer  you  the  aid  of  their 
craft  to  sell  your  books  and  push  their  own,  but  they  will  not  keep  their 
professed  friendship  if  it  should  cost  a  small  bit  of  postage  even.  Make  it 
certain  beyond  the  possibility  of  miscalculation  that  they  can  clear  their  cost 
in  producing  anything  you  write  together  with  10,  15,  or  20  per  cent  over  their 
expenses  and  then  they  will  publish  for  }-ou  on  Ihcir  ozi'ii  accoiini!  their 
own  truly !  !  !  But  even  then  they  will  not  give  you  $100.00  for  the  copyright. 
Be  assured  of  this.  Trust  them  not  for  anything  they  may  promise.  If  your 
copyright  is  agreed  to  be  paid  by  a  given  number  of  the  work  for  you  to  sell 
— they  will  give  them  .  .  .  .  ( not  legible )  unless  you  wearily  stipulate  in 
writing  otherwise  and  they  will  give  them  to  you  not  at  all  until  they  feel  assured 
your  sale  will  not  retard  the  sale  of  a  single  copy,  "just  then"  of  their  own  for  they 
will  magnify  their  expenses  and  trouble  to  attain  this  end  or  have  the  face  to 
propose  it.  How  to  fix  the  cure  for  these  Jesuitical  bibliopoles  is  a  desideratum. 
Let  me  suggest,  that  you  approacli  them  like  a  police  officer  does  a  refactory 
set  of  rowdies — with  your  badge  of  office  which  presupposes  in  the  minds  of  all 
beholders,  that  you  are  armed  for  assault  or  defence  as  the  case  may  be.  because 
the  law  is  well  knowm  to  advice  and  enjoin  this  arming.  Go  on  with  your 
subscription  as  if  on  your  own  account  eschew  all  booksellers  or  their  advice, 
which  to  an  author  is  never  to  be  trusted.  When  you  have  for  your  own  safety, 
as  if  determined  to  publish  on  your  own  account,  calculated  the  whole  cost  and 
the  cost  of  all  incidental  expenses  and  the  aggregate  of  your  indubitable  and 
accessible  subscriptions  and  find  you  can  certainly  clear  yourself  and  realize  a 
handsome  per  cent  beyond. — Then  go  with  a  bold  and  knowing  front  to  Book- 
sellers ;  one  after  another  and  make  the  best  terms  you  can  for  their  publishing 
on  their  own  account  solely,  whatever  you  have  ready.  Stipulate  for  small  edi- 
tions, 500  is  a  good  edition,  and  if  the  booksellers  see  their  interest  in  asking 
for  a  second  edition  they  will  be  cap  in  hand  to  you  instead  of  you  to  them. 
The  first  book  I  ever  published  in  1814  after  my  thesis  was  on  Naval  Hospitals 
and  reforms  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Navy — all  refused  it.     I  published 


I2i 

it  at  a  cost  bi'twci-ii  tlirci-  ;iiiil  lHur  huiidrt-d  dollars,  on  my  own  linoU  ami 
suffered  in  consec|nence  lor  two  years,  thon^h  eventually  the  Navy  and  War 
Department  purchased  it  as  a  vaile  mccuni  and  1  even  made  money.  I  never 
published  anything  on  my  own  account  alter—and  resisted  the  trades'  offers  of 
goings  half  in  expense  and  profits.  That  is  worse  than  all.  Never  do  it.  You, 
nor  any  other  professional  man  is  a  match  for  the  craft  of  booksellers.  Xobody 
would  publish  Luther's  tracts  promotive  of  that  great  reformation  that  pervaded 
the  Christian  world.  They  had  to  be  multiplied  by  scrivners  and  then  loaned 
about.  .Xfter  the  Diet  of  \\'orms,  that  vacillatory  monarch  of  nermany.  Charles, 
issued  an  edict  to  have  his  works  which  Booksellers  by  this  time  would  and  did 
publish,  burned,  seized,  etc.  Yet  still  they  would  publish— because  they  then 
made  money  out  of  the  poor,  patient,  unselfish  monk.  Tline  lunulred  years 
have  not  made  booksellers  any  different. 

ICxcuse  the   freedom  of  my   suggestions  and  believe  me 
Truly  .\(inrs, 

W'li.i.iAM   r.  C.  Barton 

rhilad<l|.liia.   Xnv.   1').   1S55 
Dr.  M.  L.   Knapp 

Di-ar  Sir: — I  believe  that  I  have  to  thank  you  lor  your  pamphlet  mi  "Epi- 
demic Cholera."  Your  views  are  certainly  ingenious,  and  the  facts,  which  you 
have  brought  together  are  interesting.  1  am  curious  to  see  how  you  will  carry 
out  the  doctrine  you  have  originated,  in  its  application  to  other  diseases  than 
cholera.  Be  so  good  therefore  as  to  add  my  name  to  the  list  of  your  subscribers, 
and  believe  me 

\'ery  truly  and  respectfully 

■S'liur   (iliedieiit   servant 

.\l.KKi;ii    STII.l.li. 

Dr.  M.  I..  Knapp. 

Dear  Doctor: — 1  have  looked  into  this  work  somewhat  carefully,  and  w-hile 
it  is  apparent  that  the  author  has  assumed  some  points  as  lixed  that  may  be 
regarded  by  not  a  few,  as  far  from  being  fully  decided,  it  seems  to  me  that 
he  is  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  the  profession  for  his  bold  and  able  attempt  to 
undermine  some  of  the  ancient  foundations.  This  main  position,  viz.  that  Scor- 
btilus  underlies  nearly,  perlial's  all  the  forms  of  morbid  aclion,  is  probably  as 
well  sustained  by  facts,  as  any  pathological  doctrine  broached  during  the  last 
century.  Of  one  thing  there  can  be  no  doubt,  viz,  that  no  retlecting  student 
can  read  the  book  without  finding  himself  the  wiser  for  his  pains.  .-Xs  a  comi)end 
of  all  that  is  worth  knowing  on  the  subject  of  scurvy,  these  researches  in 
primary  pathology  commend  themselves  to  every  candid  investigator  of  the  deep 
things  of  the  human  economy. 

May,  1858  Thom.\.s  D.  Mitchku.,  M.  D. 

Prof.  Mat.  Med.  and  Therap. 
in  Jefferson   Med.   College. 

St.  Charles,  Oct.  12,   1&48 
Dear  Sir: — I  received  yours  of  a  late  date  and  as  yn\i  have  requested   1  send 
you  one  of  the  circulars. 

As  there   is   much    I   want   to   see  you   and    Harvey   about   and   many   things 
oncoming   of   some   importance   to  us   all    1   must   request   you    to   ccime   out    as 
soon  as  you  receive  this  and  bring  Harvey  with  you. 
Don't  disappoint  me. 

Yours  ever  truly 

G.    W.    KlCIIAKf). 

n     ,  Rock  ford,  Mav,  1849 

(jcorge  Bunker. 

My  dear  Doctor:— On  my  return  to  this  place  last  evening,  from  a  tour 
through  f)gle  and  Lee  counties,  1  foun<l  a  line  from  my  old  and  esteemed  friend 
Dr.  Bunker,  and  I  need  not  say  to  you  that  I  was  much  gratified  to  hear  from 


124 

you.  I  shall  at  all  times  be  gratified  to  hear  of  your  prosperity  and  professional 
renoun.  To  effect  this  you  have  only  to  continue  as  you  have  begun.  Permit 
me  to  advise.  Well,  in  the  first  place  take  to  yourself  a  v/iie.  It  will  add  to 
your  professional  reputation — give  you  dignity  of  character,  and  I  would  hope 
increased  happiness.  Now  don't  let  poverty  or  any  other  excuse  deter  you  one 
moment  from  doing  your  duty. 

In  the  second  place,  devote  much  of  your  time  to  the  study  of  your  pro- 
fession. It  will  perhaps  be  the  occupation  of  your  life,  and  it  will  certainly  be 
a  satisfaction  to  you,  at  all  times  to  know  that  you  are  posted  up  in  the  literature 
and  practice  of  our  profession.  You  don't  want  a  large  library.  Be  sure  to 
have  in  your  library  Watson  and  Williams  Principles  of  Medicine.  Read  the 
first  twenty-five  or  thirty  lectures  in  Watson,  every  twenty-five  or  thirty  days 
for  the  first  and  second  years  of  your  practice.  And  review  Williams  care- 
fully three  or  four  times  a  year,  or  read  him  in  connection  with  Watson.  Do 
this  and  you  need  not  be  ashamed  of  your  medical  literature  in  any  crowd.  I 
want  to  see  you  well  grounded  in  General  Principles.  They  are  the  alphabet — 
the  Alpha  and  Omega  of  Medical  Science. 

I  shall  leave  in  a  few  days  for  the  East,  expect  to  be  gone  some  four  months. 
I  shall  see  Dr.  Richards  and  Knapp  in  Chicago.  Dr.  Sanford  is  at  Boston 
tending  the  National  Medical  Convention,  and  giving  our  School  a  name  among 
the  Medical  Colleges  of  the  Union.     I  feel  proud  of  our  representative  there. 

I  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  you  next  fall  on  my  return.  Hope  }'0U  will  be 
with  us  at  least  part  of  the  winter  at  Davenport.  Hope  if  we  cannot  that  some 
of  Nature's  fair  and  lovely  ones  will  attract  you  to  the  "Island  City."  How 
were  those  lender  matters  left?     Ha!  ha! 

If  you  should  be  in  Rockford  at  any  time  call  to  see  Dr.  Clark.  You  will 
find  him  a  gentleman  and  a  Medical  Scholar. 

Wishing  you  all  the  health  and  prosperity  which  you  deser\e,  which  is 
wishing  you  much,  I  remain 

Very  truly 

Your   friend 

S.  G.  .'Vrmor. 

Davenport.  Sundav  .\fternoon, 

June  4th.  1849 
Dr.  Geo.  A.  Bunker. 

My  dear  Bunker: — I  have  just  returned  from  Church  and  having  been  most 
unmercifully  bored  with  a  long,  prosy  sermon,  you  will  naturally  conclude  that 
I  am  not  in  a  very  fit  mood  to  answer  your  letter.  So  seldom  is  it  that  I  ever 
hear  from  any  of  the  B'  Hoys  (you  know  to  whom  I  allude)  that  a  letter  from 
any  of  this  is  always  a  source  of  pleasure,  especially  does  one  from  you  always 
afford  material  for  many  agreeable  if  not  profitable  reflections.  Yours  reminded 
me  of  the  time  that  we  first  met  in  the  Methodist  Church  of  Rock  Island  to 
hear  Knapp's  Introductory  of  our  daily  assembly  at  the  "Pork  House  of  Col. 
Buford"  (Goudy) — of  the  hours  of  delightful  converse  we  have  held  at  your 
room  in  the  American,  and  in  ours  at  Calkins — and  last  though  by  no  means 
least,  of  our  not  very  infrequent  visits  to  Water  Street.  Do  these  and  many 
other  events  of  the  past  winter  ever  come  up  in  review  before  your  memory? 
Or  have  their  impression,  like  the  passage  of  a  shadow,  been  so  faint  that 
they  have  left  no  trace  of  their  existence? 

No,  I  flatter  myself  that  I  sufficiently  understand  your  mental  organization, 
to  be  safe  in  asserting  that  they  are  embalmed  in  Memory's  Sacred  Urn,  and 
that  each  passing  day  will  but  leave  tliem  the  brighter  and  more  consecrated. 


125 

By  the  way,  Zimnieriiianlikc,  you  appear  from  your  comiminication.  tti  prefer 
a  life -of  solitiule  aiul  ease,  to  one  of  hustle  and  activity.     I-or  my  part  I   think 
that  I  sliould  choose  the  latter  in  our  cases  and  Pope  says : 
"Some  place  their  hliss  in  action,  some  in  ease 
Those  call  it  pleasure  and  contentment  these." — Essay  on  Man. 
I  can  picture  to  myself  the  place  of  your  location.    Yes,  Fancy  or  Imagination 
has  presented  to  my   mind's   eye  a   perfect   Daguerreotype  of    Hicks    Mill.     Can 
I    convey   you   an    idea   of    my   conception    of    it?     Well,    it    is    UeKall)   county. 
Hicks  Mill  is  situated  on  a  small  stream,  and  collected  around  it  are  a  number 
of  houses,  of  various  shapes  and  dimensions,  but  in  general  anything  but  impos- 
ing in  appearance.     .\t  or  near  the  door  of  one  of  them   in   letters  sutliciently 
large  to  attract  attention   is   the  sign.   Dr.   G.   A.    Bunker. — With   Cowper,   I'm 
tempted  to  e.xclaim : 

"Oh  Solitude!  where  are  the  charms  that  sages  have  seen  in  thy  face. 
Better  dwell  in  the  midst  of  alarms,  than  reign  in  this  horrible  place." 
Vet  it  is  as  good  as  any  if  it  will  aflford  sufficient  practice  to  keep   Body  and 
Soul  together. 

So  you  were  not  in  the  St.  Charles  .\flfray !  From  all  that  I  can  learn  from 
various  sources  respecting  the  matter,  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  the  opinion  that 
The  Rock  Island  excitement  is  not  for  a  moment  to  be  compared  to  it.  I  am 
apprehensive  that  the  occurrence  will  injure  Dr.  Richard,  pecuniarily,  and  per- 
haps in  other  ways,  i.  e.  in  respect  to  practice  and  the  collection  of  his  debts, 
however,  I  hope  not. 

Do  you  know  anything  about  our  college  matters  for  ne.\t  winter?  Where 
is  to  be  located?  Or  will  it  then  be  i'm  esscf  Who  is  to  make  arrangements 
for  a  building?  I  would  like  to  know  if  Lectures  will  be  given  here  if  not  I 
must  make  preparations  to  go  elsewhere. 

Not  having  been  at  Rock  Island,  since  my  last,  you  will  not  e.xpect  any- 
thing from  that  quarter. 

So  our  mutual  Friend  Phillips  is  now  enjoying  the  sweets  of  what  is  termed 
"double  blcssidness."  When  you  ne.xt  see  him,  please  "wish  him  much  joy"  for 
me,  and  tell  him  that  I  say  he  is  a  sensible  man. 

Vou  inquire  about  my  writing  poetry.  I  never  pretended  to  write  poetry, 
though  I  have  often  in  times  past,  essayed  to  write  verses.  That  titne  is  now 
past.  I  have  dismounted  my  Pegasus,  and  he  has  been  stolen  or  strayed,  if 
you  see  anything  of  him,  just  urge  him  on  for  I  don't  want  to  see  him  again. 
He  is  a  very  unprofitable  animal,  don't  you  think  so? 

H  our  College  should  be  holden  in  Davenport,  won't  you  come  and  see 
me?     I  think  we  could  spend  a  few  weeks  together  pleasantly. 

Hoping  to  hear  from  you  as  often  as  your  leisure  will  admit  of 
I  remain,  as  ever. 

^[|>st  truly  yours. 

John  Dillon. 

Rochester,  Michigan. 
July,  1849. 
Dr.  Geo.  A.  Bunker 

Afy  old  Bunker: — I  conclude  you  have  come  to  the  wise  conclusion  that  you 
do  not  wish  to  hear  from  me.  Well  notwithstanding  all  of  that  I  ain  going  to 
intrude  upon  your  quiet  a  little  just  now.  Though  I  am  not  sure  you  have 
any  quiet,  with  that  little  liunkcr  of  six  months!  ha!  ha!  ha!  ha!  Well,  well 
you    will    soon   know    what    real   hapl<iness   is.      Soon    you    will    hear    it    saying 


126 

"Papa,  Papa,  I  want  some  cana.''  I  have  been  a  father  most  three  years  and 
there  is  comfort  in  it.  Our  Httle  girl  is  a  great  deal  of  company  and  comfort 
to  us  and  no  doubt  you  ahnost  worship  the  little  fellow,  that  has  been  given  you. 

You  may  wish  to  know  how  I  obtained  my  information  of  your  where- 
abouts and  success  in  Young  Bunker.  Well,  I  sent  a  line  to  Kaneville  to 
inquire  after  my  friend  (or  once  was)  G.  A.  Bunker.  Well,  I  should  like 
to  know  how  and  what  you  are  doing.  Do  you  have  much  business  and  do  you 
get  your  pay  for  it  ? 

I  am  doing  better  than  I  ever  was  in  Illinois,  tho  I  am  not  doing  a  large 
business.  Last  year  and  the  first  of  my  residence  here  I  charged  some  over 
$700.  This  year  I  shall  charge  from  $700  to  $1,000,  and  what  is  better  there 
are  not  as  many  poor  debts  here  as  tliere  were  about  Batavia.  Think  by  tlie 
time  I  die  I  shall  begin  to  get  ready  to  live.  You  know  the  time  of  fozvders 
has  past  and  we  must  earn  our  living  or  we  shan't  get  it.  I  wish  you  could 
come  and  see  us  in  our  little  house.  I  have  a  room  that  I  call  mine  into  which 
I  could  invite  you  and  maybe  we  could  find  some  cigars.  Then  what  a  sit  and 
smoke  we  would  have. 

Well  I  have  written  enough  till  I  hear  from  you.  Then  I  shall  be  more  sure 
that  you  want  to  hear  from  me.     May  heaven  rule  all  things  to  your  best  good. 

E.  H.  Phillips. 

Davenport,  Oct.  5th,  1849 
Dr.  Geo.  A.  Bunker 

My  dear  Doctor: — Your  last  has  been  lying  on  my  table  unanswered  for  the 
last  two  or  three  weeks,  owing  to  the  pressing  importance  of  many  and  multi- 
farious engagements.  Tired  of  study, — relinquishing  awhile  the  converse  I've 
been  holding  with  the  ornaments  of  our  noble  profession  through  the  medium 
of  their  writings — I  sit  myself  down  to  the  pleasant  task  of  writing  to  you — 
yes  to  you — with  whom  I  have  passed  so  many  happy  and  profitable  hours. 
In  the  "News  Department,"  I  must  tell  you  that  Daniel  Curtis  Roundy  Medicinac 
Doctor,  on  Monday  last  in  the  town  of  Rock  Island,  was  united  in  the  rosy  bonds 
of  Matrimony  to  Miss  Jane  Young  of  that  place.  For  one  I  wish  the  Dr.  all  the 
happiness  imaginable,  and  hope  that  his  passage  over  the  Sea  of  Life  may  be 
pleasant  with  the  one  who  is  "to  share  his  pleasures  and  divide  his  cares."  He 
and  the  Bride  on  the  morning  succeeding  the  Celebration  of  the  Nuptials  left 
(so  I  have  understood  as  the  Doctor  did  not  honor  me  with  a  call)  for  home. 
Per  this  morning's  mail  I  received  the  announcement  of  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  of  the  U.  M.  and  was  glad  to  see  the  name  of  our  mutual 
friend  Everts,  as  the  Prof,  of  Chemistry — Vice  Goudy,  removed,  or  resigned, 
confident  as  I  am  that  we  shall  have  almost  an  infinitely  better  course  of 
Lectures  on  this  important  Branch  of  Physic. 

By  the  way  we  have  been  favored  with  a  visit  from  Prof.  San  ford.  The 
Doctor  came  up  upon  business  connected  with  the  College  and  remained  some 
two  or  three  days.  He  possesses  even  more  than  his  usual  enthusiasm  respect- 
ing the  success  of  our  Infant  Institution,  and  says  that  he  has  succeeded  in 
getting  it  recognized  in  all  the  Eastern  Colleges,  so  that  any  of  our  Alumni 
can  obtain  ad  eundem  degrees  from  them  by  complying  with  their  requisitions. 
The  College  edifice  is  in  the  process  of  completion  indeed,  it  is  nearly  finished. 
The  brick  work  is  done,  the  floors  are  laid,  the  windows  being  put  in,  and  the 
plastering  about  commencing,  and  when  finished  we  will  have  a  very  comfortable 
and  respectable  place.     Much  superior  to  the  "Pork  House"  of  Goudy  Memory 

We  are  in  daily  expectation  of  Prof.  Richards  to  attend  to  the  seating  of  the 


127 

building.  We  anticipate  and  reasonably  I  think,  a  very  fine  time  this  session, 
and  I  hope  you  will  try  and  be  with  us,  a  while  at  least.  Dr.  Pierce,  the  Prof, 
of  Anatomy,  has  left  Rock  Island  for  the  Kast.  N'o  further  news  from  the 
Island  City. 

Hoping  shortly  to  hear  from  you. 
Dr.  Geo.  A.  Bunker. 

Allow  me  to  subscribe  myself,  as  ever 

Most  truly  yours. 

JoH.N   DllXON. 

Belvidere,  Oct.  10th.  1849 
George  A.  Bunker.  M.  D. 

My  dear  Sir: — 1  return  tomorrow  morning  to  St.  Charles.  1  wish  you  to 
meet  me  there  immediately  on  the  receipt  of  this.  1  leave  on  or  about  the  16th 
for  Davenport  and  must  see  you  before  1  go. 

You  are  informed  undoubtedly  that  Everts  has  been  appointed  Prof,  of 
Chemistry  in  our  school  and  that  we  were  destitute  of  a  chemical  apparatus. 
This  has  induced  me  for  the  good  of  the  institution  and  the  credit  of  the  teacher 
of  Chemistry  to  order  a  new  and  complete  set  of  instruments  at  the  expense  of 
$250  which  must  be  met  by  the  1st  day  of  \ov. 

This  has  put  me  in  a  situation  that  compels  me  to  call  upon  all  of  the  Boys 
to  raise  me  every  dime  in  their  power  by  every  method  that  is  just  and  honest. 

.■\nd  can  I  not  expect  something  from  you?  I  want  you  to  report  yourself 
and  bring  along  what  you  can. 

Cordially  yours. 

G.  W.  RKH.\Rns. 

Davenport,  Xov.  14,  1849 
Dr.  Geo.  .\.  Bunker. 

^fy  dear  Punkcr: — Wearied  by  the  perusal  of  medical  lore. — at  an  advanced 
hour  of  the  night.  I  turn  my  attention  from  the  volumes  before  me  to  indite  a 
few  lines  to  you.  in  answer  to  your  ever  welcome  communication,  the  last  of 
which  was  duly  received  per  the  last  mail. 

There  is  one  thing,  my  dear  Bunker,  in  which  I  can  justly  lay  claim  to 
greater  merit  than  yourself,  and  that  is  promptness  in  replying  to  the  epistles 
of  friends.  Indee<l.  this  to  me  always  is  an  agreeable  task — if  such  it  can  be 
called,  especially  so  under  the  circumstances  by  which  I  am  now  surrounded. 

So  extremely  and  distressingly  seldom  is  it  that  I  hear  from  any  of  the 
students  of  the  quondam  R.  I.  Medical  School,  that  I  have  come  to  regard  a 
favor  from  any  of  them  in  the  light  of  a  "{ii>d  snid''  and  would  be  willing  to 
pronounce  eternal  blessing  upon  the  mail  which  brought  them.  In  the  room  in 
which  I  am  sitting,  and  at  the  table  on  which  I  am  writing,  are  Prof.  Everts, 
and  several  medical  students  anxiously  and  intently  pouring  over  the  noble 
records  of  our  noble  science.  This  very  sensibly  reminds  me  of  last  winter, 
though,  to  frankly  confess  the  truth,  there  were  many  nights  which  were  devoted 
to  anything  else  than  the  acquisition  of  medical  knowledge — or  to  progress  in 
our  professional  studies.     What  think  you  of  this?  eh?     Is  it  not  true.  Doctor? 

The  college  is  in  full  and  successful  operation.  Owing  to  ridiculous  coup 
d'eat  recently  made  by  the  Rush  Medical  College  for  the  ignoble  purpose  of 
crushing  this  new  colaborer  in  the  cause  of  medical  science  there  are  only  at 
this  time  about  twenty-five  students  in  attendance.  Before  the  termination 
of  the  session  there  will  be  many  more  probably  who  will  come  in  and  we  will 


128 

be  able  to  show  the  Rush  College  that  the  blow,  by  which  they  sought  to 
destroy  us  will  recoil  with  redoubled  force  upon  themselves.  I  will  fearlessly 
venture  this  prognosis  that  this  school,  despite  the  opposition  which  has  been 
marshalled  against  it,  notwithstanding  the  ably  conceited  and  well-directed  move- 
ments in  every  quarter  to  crush  it  in  its  infancy,  will  continue,  as  it  has  done 
to  flourish  amidst  their  vain  endeavors  to  annihilate  it  and  that  though  the 
bantling  of  opposition  reared  in  adversity  it  will  yet  attain  the  size  and  strength 
to  repay  with  Compound  Interest  the  murderous  efforts  of  those  who  vainly 
endeavored  to  destroy  it  when  they  thought  it  too  weak  to  protect  itself,  and 
friendless,  could  not  obtain  the  assistance  of  others.  It  would  indeed  form  a 
singular  anomaly  in  the  history  of  Colleges  if  an  institution  enjoying  so  many 
advantages  as  this,  and  comprising  such  an  amount  of  talent,  and  experience, 
could  be  crushed  by  the  puerile  effusions  of  such  men  as  compose  the  front  and 
rear  of  the  opposition. 

Among  the  students  in  attendance  I  recognize  the  familiar  faces  of  Water- 
man, Kerr,  M.  Dodson,  Craig,  Prof.  "Haines"  and  I  believe  that  is  all. 

You  seem  to  think  that  something  ought  to  be  penned  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  your  Alma  Mater,  alias  Col.  Buford's  Pork  House.  I  think  so  too, 
but  aside  from  the  fact  that  my  Pegasus  has  strayed  or  been  stolen,  as  you  are 
more  deeply  interested  than  me,  I  think  it  will  devolve  on  you  to  write  it.  When 
I  see  your  friend,  &  T.  C.  of  R.  I.  I  will  catechise  him  and  will  probably  be 
able  to  elicit  something  decidedly  rich. 

No  news  from  Rock  Island.  Craig  and  Dodson  came  over  from  the  American 
this  morning,  and  said  that  "all's  well."  (This  is  cheering  news?)  Hoping  that 
you  may  write  soon  and  trusting  Providence  that  you  will  be  permitted  to  visit 
us  ere  the  close  of  the  session,  I  am,  as  ever 

Very  truly  yours, 

John  Dillon. 

P.  S.  Prof.  Everts  says  he  will  never  forgive  me  if  I  fail  to  present  his 
compliments  to  you. 

Davenport,   Iowa,  Dec.  20,   1849. 
G.  A.  Bunker,  M.D. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Your  kind  letter  of  the  4th  inst.  came  duly  to  hand.  But  by 
some  means  it  was  mislaid.  In  searching  my  papers  today  it  turned  up,  and  at 
the  earliest  leisure  moment  I  do  myself  the  pleasure  of  replying. 

I  was  glad  to  hear  from  you,  and  although  the  past  season  has  been  one  of 
alarming  health,  still  it  appears  that  you  have  been  afflicted  with  an  "obstetric 
epidemic"  in  which  you  have  practiced  with  success. 

In  regard  to  myself,  I  am  enjoying  good  health  and  good  spirits.  When  I 
get  a  little  lonely  I  visit  Rock  Island  and  when  there  I  am  always  in  town.  I 
love  Rock  Island,  and  with  my  esteemed  correspondent,  I  am  much  attached 
to  some  of  its  inhabitants.  How  is  the  Dr? — Ha!  Ha!  By  the  way  I  called 
on  the  Miss  Sterns  and  found  them  bright  and  beautiful  as  usual.  Mr.  Stern 
is  keeping  the  ".American"  and  doing  good  business. 

In  reply  to  your  inquiry  I  have  to  say  that  the  "College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons"  is  flourishing  finely.  We  have  a  good  building,  fine  lecture  rooms,  a 
fair  class,  rather  larger  than  last  winter,  the  majority  of  them  excellent  students, 
and  we  are  delivering  them  a  choice  course  of  lectures. — myself  excepted  as  a 
matter  of  course. 

Dr.  Richards  has  not  yet  arrived ;  expecting  him  every  day.  I  have  been 
lecturing  twice  a  day,  occasionally  deliver  an  extra  at  night,  making  three.  Dr. 
Knapp  also.     I  will  close  my  course  early  in  January. 


129 

The  graduates  of  Kock  Island  will  he  furnished  with  a  Diploma  from  the  old 
School,  and  at  any  snhsequent  time  an  ad  ciinduiii  from  the  new,  if  they  desire 
it,  by  paying  a  small  amount,  say  50c  for  the  parchment.  That  is  as  I  under- 
stand it. 

For  your  kind  wishes,  my  dear  DiKtor.  receive  my  grateful  thanks,  and 
Believe  me 

Mver  truly  yours, 

S.  (i.  .\r.\ior. 

Davenport,   May  20th,   1850 

My  Hear  Doctor: — Truly  grateful  as  I  ever  am,  at  the  receipt  of  a  communi- 
cation from  you.  When  your  last  reached  me,  I  determined  that  time  should  not 
toll  the  e.vit  of  many  days  ere  I  should  otier  you  the  congratulations  of  an 
unfeigned  and  disinterested  friendship  upon  your  recovery  from  a  disease  always 
to  be  feared,— and  to  express  a  hope  that  you  may  not  soon  be  afflicted  in  the 
same  manner.  The  long  delay  of  your  answer,  led  me  it  is  true,  to  apprehend 
my  worst  fears.  .\vn\  I  am  truly  thankful  that  you  have  been  restored  to  your 
friends  and  to  your  profession, — and  derive  what  consolation  I  can  from  the  fact 
that  it  has  been  no  worse. 

One  of  the  less  strongly  tinctured,  yet  withal  somewhat  bitter  cup  of  mis- 
fortunes also  has  been  mine  to  drink.  Shortly  anterior  to  the  date  of  your 
letter,  we  had  the  bad  luck  to  lose  our  house  in  this  place  from  the  ravages  of 
the  all-destroying  element — tire.  Our  family  had  made  every  preparation  for  a 
journey  to  the  east,  on  a  visit  to  the  friends  and  home  of  my  childhood,  and 
with  this  view  we  had  rented  a  few  days  previously  to  the  origination  of  the 
fire  the  house  for  $420  per  annum.  The  most  I  cared  for  this  was,  that  it 
blasted  a  long  and  cherished  visit.  .-Vnd  in  one  short  hour  deprived  my  mother 
and  sister  of  an  easy  and  comfortable  competence. 

These  circumstances  will  render  it  necessary  for  me  to  go  into  practice 
soon  and  I  am  now  only  awaiting  the  arrival  of  an  uncle  from  the  east  in  order 
to  complete  my  arrangement  for  the  future.  .-Knd  by  the  way.  My  dear  George, 
if  you  know  of  any  good  locations  in  your  vicinity,  be  so  good  as  to  apprise 
me  of  it. 

The  college  is  in  operation,  Drs.  Richards,  Hudson  and  San  ford  are  now- 
lecturing.  The  "Commencement"  will  occur  about  the  15th  of  ne.xt  month. 
There  will  be  about  six  candidates  for  the  Doctorate.  You  inquire  about  the 
prospects  of  the  School : — My  opinion  is  that  they  are  very  much  mixed,  border- 
ing. I  think,  on  the  dubious.  .As  a  small  cloud  "no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand," 
prognosticates  the  coming  storm,  there  exist  a  few,  and  to  my  mind,  by  no 
means  insignificant  premonitions,  of  an  explosion  in  the  Faculty.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  mention  the  data  upon  which  I  predicate  this  opinion,  as  I  fondly 
hope  the  storm  may  be  averted,  or  if  this  as.sail  may  the  institution  be  but  more 
firm  from  the  shock. 

Since  the  Commencement,  I  have  occupied  most  of  my  leisure  hours  in  the 
study  of  the  French  language.  1  am  highly  delighted  with  its  prosecution,  and 
I  flatter  myself  that  I  read  it  with  a  good  deal  of  facility  considering  the  atten- 
tion I  have  devoted  to  it. 

There  is  not  much  in  the  world  of  News  to  communicate.     Dr.  Craiy   (Mr. 

Craig  of  your  knowledge)   was  recently  married.     From  Rock  Island  I  have  no 

news.     You  will  pardon  me  for  not  writing  more  now,  as  I  will  write  you  again 

as  soon  as  my  plans   for  the   future  shall   have  been   made.    Write  soon,  and 

meanwhile  as  ever  i         .     i 

I  am  truly  yours,  j^^^  p   ^^^^^ 

Geo.  .\.  Bunker,  M.  D. 
Kaneville.  111. 


130 

Keokuk,  Lee  Co.,  Iowa,  Oct.  4,  1850 
George  A.  Bunker,  M.  D. 

My  dear  Sir: — Severely  pressed  for  funds  and  deprived  of  (by  the  injustice 
of  my  fellow  men)  the  power  of  practicing  the  profession  of  my  choice  I  am 
compelled  to  call  in  all  my  dues  and  ask  of  those  to  whom  I  have  been  merciful 
in  time  of  need  to  remember  me  in  affliction.  Can  I  appeal  to  you  and  my  many 
young  medical  friends  in  vain?  I  think  not.  I  am  sure  not.  If  I  had  an  arm 
on  the  right  side  of  my  body  that  was  of  the  least  use  to  me  I  know  I  never 
should  have  been  compelled  to  make  this  appeal  to  you.  But  circumstances  open 
up  to  us  that  which  we  never  can  see  in  the  future. 

Will  you  respond  to  this  directed  to  this  place. 

In  June  last  I  resigned  my  connection  with  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  expecting  never  again  to  meet  a  Medical  Class — Yet  by  strong  and 
continued  importunity  I  have  consented  to  give  one  course  more  and  where  my 
destiny  may  then  fix  me  I  know  not.  I  think  however  it  will  be  in  the  extreme 
south.  Prospects  I  think  are  good  in  view  of  a  large  class  here  and  the 
citizens  of  the  city  are  finishing  a  fine  building  for  a  College  and  another  for 
a  Hospital.     I  think  they  will  be  ready  by  term  time. 

Especially  and  very  truly  yours 

G.    W.    RlCH.\RDS. 

Libertyville,  Nov.  10.  1850 
Dr.  Geo.  A.  Bunker. 

My  dear  Doctor,- — I  have  inadvertently  allowed  your  last  and  very  welcome 
letter,  which  I  received  the  last  of  September  to  "lie  on  the  table"  until  the 
present  for  which  I  most  humbly  beg  pardon  and  promise  not  to  do  so  again. 
I  hope  you  have  not  crossed  me  from  your  books  for  my  negligence,  though  I 
must  confess  I  think  you  have  been  very  forbearing  if  you  have  not.  I  can 
say  nothing  in  justification  of  myself.  All  I  can  say  is  that  some  book  says 
"turn  not  away  from  the  penitent."  Which  text  I  would  most  respectfully  urge 
upon  your  consideration. 

Business  has  been  so  horrid  dull  that  I  am  loth  to  write  to  any  of  my 
friends.  Still  I  like  to  hear  from  them,  especially  if  they  happen  to  be  in  the 
same  fix,  for  who  is  there  that  does  not  like  to  know  that  he  has  company 
whatever  may  be  his   trouble. 

There  has  been  no  epidemic  nor  endemic  nor  sporadic  disease  among  us. 
No,  nor  any  babies  or  hardly  an  old  snag  of  a  tooth  to  pull  for  the  last  three 
months !  !  Now,  that's  so,  fact. — Do  you  want  to  know  what  we  have  had  ? 
Well,  I'll  tell  you.  We  have  had  an  Election.  And  we  have  numbered  the 
Old  Hunker  party  in  this  county  among  the  things  that  were.  Now,  Doctor, 
I  don't  know  whether  you  are  a  Free  Soiler  or  Hunker  or  Whig,  but  I  con- 
clude you  are  a  Free  Soiler  and  I  arrive  at  that  conclusion  from  the  fact  that 
you  are  a  good  fellow.  If  I  am  right  I  know  you  will  rejoice  to  hear  that  the  Old 
Hunker  party  with  its  auxiliaries,  the  whisky  band,  and  all  the  accompaniments 
and  variations,  has  been  fairly  and  scientifically  licked,  and  its  most  vehement 
supporters  now  go  about  with  their  tails  between  their  legs  perfectly  "mum" 
and  won't  suffer  a  word  to  be  said  to  them  about  election.  I  am  no  politician 
and  have  always  felt  little  or  no  interest  in  election  matters  till  this  fall,  and 
should  not  then  probably  had  not  one  of  my  best  and  warmest  friends  been 
nominated  for  the  office  of  sheriff.  And  when  I  heard  the  lies  that  were  told 
and   saw   the  low   despicable  means  th&t   were   resorted   to  by  the   Hunkers   to 


131 

defeat  liim  it  roused  all  the  ^■allkl■e  in  my  nature  and  I  worked  for  him  as 
men  will  work  when  they  are  stimulated  hy  the  consciousness  that  they  are 
doing  right.  He  is  elected,  and  1  am  satisfied  and  that  is  all  the  better  otT  that 
1  am.  Politics  will  do  to  spice  life  with  and  vary  its  monotony  hut  is  loo  stimulat- 
ing for  every-day  use. 

Last  night  I  had  a  case  of  poiseuing  hy  Sulph.  Zinc,  which  was  taken  in 
solution  for  salts.  It  produced  severe  and  continued  vomiting  with  the  symptoms 
of  severe  irritation  of  the  throat  and  stomach.  Treatment:  Warm  diluents  till 
the  stomach  appeared  to  be  tlioroughly  washed  out.  then  morphia,  mucilages  and 
cold  applications  to  the  epigastrium.  Today  she  is  as  eoiufortable  as  could  be 
expected.  1  have  had  one  surgical  case  in  the  shai)e  of  fracture  of  the  tibia. 
Tomorrow  I  am  going  to  apply  the  starch  bandage  to  it.  1  shall  not  write  you 
anything  about  particular  matters  till  ne.vt  time,  (live  my  love  to  Kate  and  tell 
her  that  she  owes  me  a  kiss  and  that  1  am  bound  to  have  it  if  I  don't  get  it 
till  she  is  a  married  woman.  I  should  not  send  the  message  by  you  if  1  did 
not  think  you  would  see  her  before  I  shall.  Forgive  me  for  sending  a  '/j  sheet 
of  paper  for  I  happened  to  have  just  such  a  piece.  Write  soon  and  tell  me 
something  about  the  boys  if  you  can, 

Vours  truly, 

Geo.  S.  Whkeleh. 

Oswego,  March  7th,  1851 
Geo.  A.  Bunker. 

My  dt'iir  Sir: — Can  you  tell  me  any  thing  about  Material.  My  boys  have 
returned  from  lectures  and  we  are  going  to  inake  some  preparations ;  and  sir, 
if  you  can  be  instrumental  in  forwarding  our  plan  1  have  no  doubt  you  will  do 
so — Imnii-dialrly. 

I  may  say  in  this  connection,  .Sir,  that  I  received  your  last  letter,  and  was 
much  pleased  to  find  that  all  great  minds  run  in  the  same  channel.  I  am  still 
sanguine  (not  in  the  one  idea)  but  in  the  belief  that  much  good  may  result 
from  our  discovery. 

Prof.  Richards  is  at  Debuque,  thinks  of  locating  there.  They  had  ten 
graduates  and  fifty  students  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of 
The  Iowa  University.  Old  Doc  is  the  sheet  anchor  and  the  strong  man  in 
Peril  and  Distress,  that  he  ever  has  been.     He  resigned  again. 

Sir.  if  you  will  say  to  me  when  and  where  I  can  find  what  we  want  I  will 
be  there  and  no  trouble  shall  follow.  We  want  a  Boy,  age  12  to  14.  Don't 
disappoint  us.  Sir. 

Vours  truly, 

Willis  D.\nforth. 
We  shall  e.xpect  an  answer  by  return  mail.  Business  is  moderate  today. 
But,  sir,  we  are  preparing  for  a  heavy  run  this  summer.  We  congratulate  you. 
Sir.  and  your  progress  in  Practice.  We  expect  brighter  days  for  you.  We  have 
an  eye  on  you.  Sir,  and  lake  an  honorrdile  pride  in  witnessing  your  out- 
goings, etc. 

Most  truly   Sir. 

^'o^^r  friend 

W.  Danforth. 

Oswego,  .■\ugusl   16,  185.1 
Dr.  G.  A.  Bimker. 

Dear  Sir: — It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  received  a  line  from  you.  I  have 
felt  over  anxious  to  learn  your  whereabouts  and  what  you  could  reiKirt  of  your 
long  silence.     I  am  induced  to  describe  to  you  my  late  visit  to  Philadelphia  and 


New  York.  You  know  that  we  talked  of  making  the  trip  together  and  for 
that  purpose  I  wrote  you  last  March  signifying  my  intention  of  visiting  Phil, 
and  desiring  your  company.  1  never  received  an  answer  to  that  letter.  But 
proceeded  to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  after  spending  four  days  there  went  to 
Philadelphia  and  entered  the  Pa.  Hospital  (alone).  I  also  attended  College 
Clinics  at  all  the  Colleges  there.  Dr.  Meigs  and  Pancoast  were  my  favorite 
instructors.  I  remained  here  nearly  two  months  and  I  can  assure  you  that  it 
well  repaid  me  for  my  trouble ;  indeed.  I  saw  more  surgery  there  than  I  should 
have  seen  here  in  two  hundred  years.  I  now  passed  up  to  New  York,  attended 
the  National  Medical  Convention  and  there  entered  the  City  Hospital  where 
I  remained  nearly  one  month,  attending  also  the  different  College  Clinics  at 
the  several  Colleges  there.  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  most  of  the  eminent 
men  there  and  obtained  much  valuable  information.  I  believe  New  York 
possesses  decided  advantages  over  Philadelphia  or  any  other  place  in  the  Union. 
Any  one  who  has  never  seen  N.  Y.  and  Phil,  cannot  fully  appreciate  the  immense 
amount  of  clinical  instruction  that  may  be  enjoyed  there.  Returning  from  N.  Y. 
I  proceeded  to  visit  Saint  Louis  and  New  Orleans  and  I  spent  most  of  my  time 
in  St.  Louis  Hospitals  with  Dr.  Pope.  I  am  pleased  with  our  Southern  Insti- 
tutions. They  compare  favorably  with  the  Eastern.  I  found  it  sickly  at  New 
Orleans.     Yellow  Fever  principally  which  is  uniformly   fatal. 

Such  then  in  brief  is  a  profile  of  my  journey  East  and  South.  I  am  sorry 
that  you  could  not  or  did  not  acompany  me.  1  often  felt  the  want  of  some 
intimate  friend  to  converse  with. 

Will  you  say  to  me  how  you  get  on,  whether  you  are  growing  in  grace  and 
so  on.     How  Mrs.  B.  gets  on,  etc. 

Mrs.  D.  sends  many  regards. 

Yours  truly, 

Willis  Danforth. 
To  Dr.  G.  A.  B., 

Oregon  Citv,  Illinois, 
1853. 


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